


Jewel

by AvatarToph



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Loki (Marvel), Bondage, Collars, Cute Loki (Marvel), F/M, Feral Behavior, Gen, In Public, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki and Thor Are Not Related, M/M, Master/Pet, Other people see feral!loki, Out of Character, Public Claiming, Public Display of Affection, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2019-10-20 11:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 39,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17621537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvatarToph/pseuds/AvatarToph
Summary: After the battle on Jotunheim has been won, a strange feral runt is found chained in the palace. Thor takes it home with the intention of making it into a fighting machine, but soon finds the little beast is an endearing trouble maker. If only he could read the magic runes on the collar, he would find that Loki is much more than he seems.





	1. Finding trouble

   The Aesir had bested the king of the Jotuns once and for all. Thor was beaming as he watched his tired, bloody men pilfer through the ice castle in search of goods, hoping they would find enough for all his people to be satisfied with the victory. After most of the rooms had been ransacked, he sauntered to where his friends were beckoning him with eager smiles.  
   “Thor, you must see this!” Fandral said. He looked as energized as he had at the beginning of the battle.  
   “What have you found, my friends?” Thor asked, stepping over the arm of a fallen jotunn. Volstag motioned them through the doorway, around the large room to a side door made to look like the rest of the wall. If it weren't for the large hole from an errant weapon it would have gone completely unnoticed.  
   Thor wondered at his friends behavior (how many battles and adventures had they gone on to find treasure that had not made them excited like this?) when his eyes fell on what was obviously the target of interest.  
   In the center of this rather large, empty room was a Jotun runt chained by a heavy metal collar to a ring in the floor. It was blue with raised lines, just like the larger jotun, but had long and matted black hair and no horns. No. It had horns. They had been broken off close to the skull. And that wasn't the end to its injuries. There were red welts along it's back with blood dried all across its body. Mostly from under the collar. The poor beast was emaciated beyond what should have been survivable, yet it kept up a steady stream of growls and weak snaps in their direction.  
   Thor circled closer. The creature kept its eyes on him but could not move its body. The lack of sustenance and the heavy manacle kept it laying on the floor. Exposed. It seemed to be completely feral, for it hadn't attempted to speak. The giants were at least capable of that.  
   Sif strutted next to it and gave it a hefty kick to its stomach. “Be quiet.” she chided. It gave a huff, but didn't stop. Fandral laughed and said “It is a fighter, at least. I wonder what it is doing here?”  
   That was a good question. This was the royal wing. Most likely the rooms of one of the princes. “Perhaps it was a pet.” Sif said, throwing her ponytail over her shoulder.  
   Thor leaned down to look in its eyes. They were red and glassy, but holding on desperately like it was trying to convey something. He could only guess it was how much it wanted them dead. It was still challenging them. And Thor did love a challenge.  
He reached out to touch the collar; it was incredibly heavy and covered in runes. With his limited knowledge of the womanly arts he could see that a few were binding runes to keep magic within the vessel.  
   If he could tame this beast, it could be an attack dog, a magical hidden weapon to be released at his whim. Or at least he would be happy with breaking this jotun in as a representation of the ice giant people, something to show his father how ready he is to lead.  
   “We take him with us.” Thor commanded. The others nodded and moved to break the long chain from the ice.  
\--------  
   The little beast was moved into Thor's chambers. It was filthy and weak and Thor took an odd pleasure in having such a project waiting for him after the feast. It would be like polishing his swords or training his warriors. Soon this runt would be a fresh gem; his shiny new toy to show off and use at his leisure.  
   The first night after the battle he spent in the feasting hall with all his fellow Aesir. His little beast could wait for him, he was sure it wouldn't be able to flee. His friends distracted him easily with boasts and songs somehow already written of their victory. Pretty soon he forgot about anything but the warmth of the feast hall, surrounded by his fellows.  
When the party finally winded down the next night, he stumbled his way to his chamber, keeping a hand on the wall to steady himself. Upon entering he remembered his little project, for it immediately began snapping at him. Thor groaned and rubbed at his face. He didn't want to deal with it right now.  
   “shh, little pet. I will give you a nice bath and candied meats and whatever you want. Tomorrow. But right now I just want to sleep.”  
   It tapered off into a low, rumbling growl, then quieted completely. It still glared, but had too much trouble raising it's head and seemed as tired as him. He took pity on the beast, so he threw down a few old pelts for it to sleep on. That was all he could manage before he fell back against his bed and slept.  
\------------------  
   A servant left him a tonic from the healers for his headache, for which he was grateful. This one was a killer.  
   Speaking of killer, his little Jotun had nestled itself on the furs and was purring happily like an overgrown kitten. Thor looked over the edge of his bed, mouth agape, unable to believe what he was hearing. Was it all jotun that purred or was this just another peculiarity of his special trophy?  
   He decided to let it sleep a bit longer while the tonic took hold. During that time he got dressed, brushed through his hair with his fingers until he was satisfied, then went to empty himself and wash up. At some point during all this, his pet had come awake and was struggling to sit up despite the heavy collar.  
   Thor came to its side and brushed its matted hair back to see its angry face. He smiled. “You are a pretty thing.” He laughed when it snapped at his hand. “Come now. If you take off my hand I cannot pamper you.”  
   The jotun pulled away, then swayed dangerously before catching itself. Thor easily scooped it up, carrying it like a child with its head resting on his shoulder. It did not seem to like this, for it gave a mighty hiss with all the energy it had left.  
   Again, Thor shushed it. He made his way to the bathing chamber where his own water had cooled. The runt squirmed and whined, but still did not utter a word. At this point, Thor was sure it wasn't capable of speech. Not that it needed it to let its feelings be known.  
   As soon as he attempted to lower it into the bath it screeched like a shot bilgesnipe! They both went crashing to the floor as the runt attempted to claw its way through his captor and get away from the vile bath. Thor shot up, face red with anger until he saw the pitiful sight of the beast, curling around it's now burnt foot. It seemed torn between whimpering and snarling at him.  
   Thor held up his hands, trying to convey his sympathy. “I am sorry, little creature. I did not mean to harm you. I was not thinking of how hot it would be.” He stood and went to the door. “I will have the servants fetch me cold water. And some ice.”  
   He made good on his promise and returned swiftly with three young serving boys carrying buckets. The golden tub was emptied and refilled with iced water- perfect for his little ice giant.  
   He tried again and It seemed his pet knew it would be different this time for it did not struggle. It seemed very eager to get into the water and immediately submerged itself, head and all. Thor laughed when it resurfaced, looking so pleased. He went to retrieve his hair oils and comb and suddenly the little runt was not so pleased. It seemed confused and angry, which meant it put up quite a fight when Thor approached it with them. After he finally latched onto the wriggling beast and began combing the ends of its tangled hair, it began to calm down. It would snarl when there was a tangle that needed extra care, but otherwise seemed content to be pampered.  
   “You will need a name.” Thor said, mostly to himself. The jotun gave no indication that it understood or cared, just so long as those hands continued playing with its hair.  
   He tossed around a few, saying them out loud to get a feel for them in his mouth. Around the time his knees became sore he finally settled on Loki. It was short and simple and seemed to roll off the tongue in just the right way. He muttered nothings to his pet while drying it off, cooing the name over and over as his pet preened with the attention.  
   Loki was still weak and thin, so the next thing to do was feed him. He picked the runt up once again and carried him to the lounging room. He kicked a few pillows onto the floor before settling his jewel down. Loki would have to learn he was not allowed on furniture.  
   He called a servant to get him some meats and cheeses and resumed playing with Loki's hair while they waited. Loki seemed cautious at first, skittish even, but soon warmed to the petting. He kept his distance, but that was alright. Thor was happy to wait to earn his full trust. This poor beast must have faced heavy abuse with the Jotunn princes if his reactions were any indication. The state of his battered body was enough to show how little he had been cared for. He was sure that Loki would soon see that he was very different from those monsters.  
   A servant came with a tray full of slices of meat and an array of cheeses, as well as a goblet of wine. Thor thanked the lad before he left. He noted that the boys eyes lingered on his jotun for a bit longer than needed before closing the door, especially to his naked lap. He would need to find something to conserve its modesty for the benefit of the rest of the castle. After their meal, of course.  
   The beast was picky for someone on the brink of starvation. He tried offering it the freshly cooked meats, but he turned his nose to them. The salted fish was fine, as were the fruits and nuts. It seemed cautious of the cheeses and decided it liked goat cheese best and the others just wouldn't do. Well, he would have to test to see what else his pet enjoyed in the future.  
   Once Loki was full, he stretched and nuzzled into the pillows before purring again. Thor laughed at his strange little prize that continued to act in ways so different from the rest of its race. It was endearing. While his pet was occupied, he went to check among his tunics for a spare he didn't mind losing. The best he could find was a long tunic that went down to his hips, but ended at Loki’s knees. The beast sniffed at it, but didn't attempt to take it off or rip it up. That was a victory, surely.  
   Loki went back to resting and didn't seem energetic enough to escape, so Thor felt confident in leaving it alone while he went to the training grounds.  
\-------------  
  What a mistake that was!  
   Loki sat in the middle of his destruction with a look of complete innocence which only fueled Thor’s anger.  
   The moment he raised his voice, though, the damned beast flinched as if struck and began hissing and curling into a sad ball. This was like a stab to his heart. He had every right to be angry, so why did he feel like such a monster?  
   In the end he left to take out his anger on the dummies in the training field. This is where his mother found him.  
   “I hear you have a pet.” She said as she walked near. Thor huffed and wiped away the sweat already gathering on his forehead. It was a rather hot day, but the blazing sun only made the queen dazzle even brighter.  
   “It is turning out to be quite a hassle.” Thor responded angrily. “He has already destroyed the entire contents of my room in no less than a day.”  
   At this she laughed, much to Thor’s confusion. “He is testing you, my love. Seeing if you will be like previous handlers. Show him love and fair discipline and he will be a perfect pet for you.”  
   It didn't make it any easier to swallow his anger, but he certainly tried. It was lucky for the whelp that he was so cute, else Thor would have electrocuted him on the spot.  
\-------------  
   By the time he returned, Loki had made himself comfortable on the daybed in his dressing room. The runt had the gall to look pleased with himself as he snuggled into one of Thor's most prized furs, which had previously been hanging on the wall behind his bed. The holes in the corners indicated it had not been done with care.  
   He approached the infuriating beast and tossed him to the ground, resulting in a hiss and some attempted scratches. Thor grunted at the pain, even though it wasn't very hard. He was tired and ready to relax. He wasn't in the mood for a fight.  
   He took a fistful of the fur and huffed at how damaged that little monster had made it. “You do not destroy my things!” he gritted out before flinging it to the side. Loki curled into a ball, back arched like a cat, and continued to hiss in an offended tone. Thor rolled his eyes.  
   With nothing else to be done, he stripped and got ready for bed. When he got to his bedroom the brat had already curled itself on the top covers with its eyes closed, but was obviously still agitated and breathing rapidly. Thor went to remove him until the miserable thing whined and scooted away. Thor sighed.  
   “Just for tonight, you useless lump.” Thor threatened under his breath.    Once he was settled under the covers he felt the bed shift as Loki came to curl into his side. Thor felt very silly, but patted his pet with a goofy grin.  “You'll surely be the death of me. Why can I not say no to you?”  
   Loki didn't respond, other than to curl tighter against him.


	2. Meeting Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mainly fluff this chapter with the beginnings of an answer to your questions about the collar.   
>  This will be updated daily since I already have most of the story written out.

   Loki was no longer allowed to be alone after destroying his masters room. But he couldn't come outside and roast under the intense sun. He needed to stay within the castle where the marble would keep him cool enough.

  “I would love to watch him.” Frigga said, already petting Loki's hair back. The jotunn purred and nudged her side to encourage the treatment. Thor rolled his eyes at the runts actions. He was always so defensive around Thor, even though he had not once beaten him as he ought to. Around his mother, though, Loki preened like a spoilt cat. Nothing like the hissing viper he had been earlier that very morn. “Come, sweet thing. Let us join the women of the court for sewing. They will surely adore you.”

   She turned and headed towards the royal wing, expecting Loki to follow. Thor was surprised when his pet looked over to him, sending a jolt of lightning to his heart. Was the creature looking to him for approval? Was it capable of such thought? He waved it along, which seemed to be enough to break its stare, for it soon trotted after his mother on all fours.

   As soon as he stepped outside he was thankful Loki was inside. The frost runt would have been unable to handle this kind of blazing heat. Truth be told, it was a warm day even by Asgards standard. Hot enough to keep the ladies in the shade as they finished repairing clothing within eyesight of the practice fields.

   His friends had arrived just before him and were stretching in long, precise ways that flaunted their physique to the women nearby. Sif swatted at Fandral when he bent in a way that could be for no other reason than to draw their eyes to his groin.

   “If you keep that up you will hurt yourself before you get to the real action.” Thor laughed, clapping a hand to Fandral’s shoulder.

   Volstagg guffawed loudly and swung his sword in slow, measured circles. “Do tell us of this real action, Thor. How has your little Frost beast been treating you?”

  “Be sure to keep from getting frost bite on the family jewels.”

  “Has he bitten off anything too important?”

  Sif gave them all a good knock to the head, which didn't stop their snickers. Thor tied his already sweaty hair into a bun to keep it off his neck, then said “truthfully, I have not laid with it. It has the mind of an animal. It does not feel right.”

  Volstagg nodded in understanding. “Tis a pity to go through all that trouble for something you can't play with. What do you plan to do with it?”

  There was the answer he had started with- to make it an attack dog- but he had started off poorly. Whenever he was around it the creature kept looking up at him with hurt eyes and a pitiful whine, making it impossible to punish it. But that was a better answer than making it into a leisure pet. That was what frail old men did to their beasts when they couldn't keep up with training.

  “Attack dog.” he said automatically, mostly to have something to say. The men laughed, but Sif gave him a curious glance.

  “Thor… he is a runt. What damage could that pup do that we can't?” At least she wasn't mocking him. It sounded like an earnest question, tinged with concern for his mental state.

  The back of his neck flushed with embarrassment. “His collar has binding runes for magic. He must have some capabilities, else they would not have kept him so restrained.” Sif gave him a deep look, but said nothing.

  Volstagg twisted to crack a spot on his spine and said jovially “We should bring him on a hunt to see how deep those animal instincts go.” The idea seemed to make his comrades giddy, bickering over who would teach his jotunn to hunt rabbits or sniff out clusters of binglesnipes. While the boys devolved into tussling in the sand of the arena, Sif moved closer to Thor.

  “You are fond of it already.” Thor looked across her face, expecting her to be accusatory. She smiled and adjusted the strap of a shoulder plate. “I do not blame you. It's a feisty little thing. Once he is cleaned and in better spirits he should join us. We can practice fighting with him.”

  “He is being pampered by my mother currently. I am afraid he may be useless to me by the end of the week.” He laughed. Sif chuckled with him and gave his shoulder a hard shove before trotting into the arena. A weight felt lifted off his shoulders. He was glad to have such supportive friends.

\-----------------

  Upon entering the sewing room, Loki took a defensive stance and backed against the wall. There were 7 other women already seated in a circle who looked over to see the creature at the door and made startled exclamations at seeing a jotunn.

  Frigga bent down to pet his hair and murmur to him in soothing tones. He stayed pressed against the wall and didn't seem ready to join the group. The queen slowly got up to keep from startling him before making her way across the room to her designated seat, shoes clacking against the marble in the quiet room. A servant retrieved her needles and current project before drifting back to her own seat and kept a careful eye on the jotunn.

  “ladies, this is my sons new pet, Loki. He was found after the war in poor condition and Thor has been caring for him to bring him back to health.” A few of the ladies took pity at hearing this. “Loki doesn't understand our words, but understands body language, so please be gentle around him. If we ignore him he may join us soon.”

  With Frigga setting the example, the rest of the group looked back down at their sewing, chatting quietly and carefully with those around them. After a while of this, Loki had crept his way over to the queen without anyone noticing.

  The servant to her left gasped upon seeing him so close which caused him to jump and arch his back. Frigga tutted and began tenderly petting his hair. “There you are, my dear. Come sit on the rug.” Loki stayed where he was on the marble, just on the edge of the large, plush rug the women's cushions were placed on. It was obviously much cooler and therefore comfortable for the ice giant. Frigga continued to twirl his hair while he slowly relaxed against her skirts. To everyone's surprise, Loki began lightly purring and pressed his face into her dress as if embarrassed.

  The dam of confused emotions broke. Every woman cooed at this and began baby talking to him, finding his behavior adorable and quite endearing. Loki didn't know what to make of all this attention, but soon brought his face out from its hiding place to look around the room.

  Now that he was more comfortable, Frigga went back to sewing. Loki, to the delight of everyone in the room, gave a tiny mewl and rubbed his shoulder against her side. Frigga refused, but inclined her head to one of the younger girls near her. “Go make friends.”

  Loki looked to where she motioned. The girl quickly caught on and began clicking her tongue as one would to get a cats attention, reaching down her hand to show that she wanted to pet him. After a brief hesitation, he crawled to her.

  He sniffed her hand, leaned away to see what she would do, then slowly leaned forward for her to touch his head. Once she started scratching behind his ears he practically melted against her. Soon, all of the women wanted a turn with him, trading him off and bemoaning the fact that they had no treats for him.

  “such a good little creature you are.”

 “So unlike other Jotunn.”

“Our prince is so lucky to have something so precious.”

  Frigga smiled down at her embroidery, knowing that this would need to be a regular occurance.

\------------------

  Thor came to retrieve him after practice and found his runt resting his head on the lap of one of the wives of his father's advisers. He was purring loudly and seemed to be fighting sleep. 

  “Mother.” he said at a loss for words. She laughed at his open bewilderment before going over to retrieve the jotunn. He turned to her when beckoned, then seemed to shake himself awake enough to notice Thor was nearby. He sleepily crawled to his masters feet before flipping onto his side and stretching like a content cat. The women ‘aaaaw’ed and giggled.

  Thor bent to pick up his pet, cradling him much as he had the day before. This time, instead of hissing, he flopped against him and allowed himself to be carried.

  “Thor. Have you looked at the runes on his collar?”

  Thor looked up at his mother, then back at his pet's neck. He blushed. “Yes. I recognized a few binding runes, but… I ah.. don't know what all of them say.”

  She smiled at him warmly. “Yes, most of them are for binding, but not just magic.” she gave him a moment to think this through. He tried very hard to think of what else they could be binding and nothing came to mind.

  “What do you mean, mother?”

 “I mean that little Loki may not be what we think he is. A few marks are responsible for his state of mind.”

  “Are they hurting him?”

 “Not that I can tell. In fact, it may be good to keep it on him. We have no idea why it was put on him in the first place. With the level of power holding his magic at bay, he may be a force to behold.”

  Thor nodded, but still felt terribly conflicted. “so is he fully aware and just… trapped within himself?”

  Frigga kissed Thor's cheek and gave Loki one last pet. “It is impossible to tell without taking the collar off and seeing if he can answer for himself. Even if that is the case, he has been through so much hurt. Treating him with kindness will heal many wounds we cannot see.” Thor didn't know how to respond, so he gave his mother a peck on the cheek and carried his jotunn back to his room.

  Loki began purring lightly as he nuzzled his cold nose against Thors jaw. He had to admit that it felt good against his heated skin. He was thankful that the inner rooms of the castle were so cold for his pet. “Did those women spoil you? How can I make you a vicious attack beast when you curl against the lap of anyone who will pet you?” he asked teasingly. His little jewel huffed against his neck before succumbing to sleep.


	3. The Pig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good fun with Loki showing off some skills. Find me on Tumblr as Cute-fanart

  Within a few days, Loki had regained his strength and his energy, bouncing around his room and knocking things off of tabletops. Thor tried scolding him, but it got him nowhere.  
  His injuries were healing quickly, but his collar still gave him trouble. It was heavy and often rubbed his skin raw, but there was no latch and was the only thing holding his magic back. Thor couldn't risk removing it now. At least not until he had a suitable replacement.  
  Today he had to go to a meeting with his father which Loki definitely could not attend. He was a distraction and his father wasn't overly fond of him yet. His mother was off world meeting with a queen who had just given birth, so she was not able to take him. That left his friends.  
  Loki was not happy to see Sif who had kicked him viciously the first time they had met. Volstagg was large and slightly taller than Thor and reminded Loki of his last handlers. He hissed and hid behind Thor's legs, rumbling a warning growl when the usually happy man attempted to get near. Fandral talked too much and too loudly and made Loki uncomfortable. To everyone's surprise it was Hogun who made a connection with the beast. He simply crouched down with a hand extended, making no noise and staying as still as a statue. Loki kept a wide berth away from the others, but eventually came to sniff at Hogun and allowed him the honor of petting him.  
  Thor sighed in relief, for he was close to being late already. He began walking away from the group to get away with minimal whining from his pet. “He cannot go outside or in hot places. Just keep him busy until I return. Thank you, my friends!”  
  Loki didn't like Thor leaving. He rumbled under his breath and watched as his master turned the corner and disappeared. The warriors three debated on what to do with their day pet sitting and settled on taking him to the feasting hall where there would be plenty of room to let him bounce around. Thankfully, Loki followed them across the castle without wandering off.  
  They got settled at a table with mead and various foods while Loki sniffed every corner of the room. He concentrated heavily on Thors ceremonial chair at the high table before clambering onto it and looking happy with his new perch. Fandral gave a hearty laugh but was quick to shoo him off before anyone saw him. No matter that he was animal minded, if anyone else knew of it he would be in the stocks.  
  “I wonder why he is like this.” Sif said, tracking the jotunns movements as he serpentined around the tables. “None of his kind act like a wild animal. And he was locked away with such a heavy chain like they were afraid he would break out.”  
  “Perhaps he caused a great deal of damage.” Volstagg replied between bites. “Thor says he tore apart his room that first night and he had barely enough energy to lift his head!”  
  “Then why did they not kill him?” Hogun asked. “If he were simply a menace or some random wildling.”  
  Sif leaned her arms against the table. “My first guess was that he was a pet to one of the princes. He was found in a royal antechamber.”  
  “They sure had an odd way of treating him if that were the case.” Fandral put his feet up on the table and leaned back. “They must have been true monsters to starve and beat him the way they did.”  
  “Jotunns are monsters.” Sif said as if reading it from paper. “Can we be surprised that they treat one of their own so badly?”  
  Hogun hummed and turned to look for Loki. He had found a small serving girl who had a feather tied in her braid, which she was using to lead him around the room. He happily loped after her and batted at it when he was near, making her laugh and drawing the attention of an older servant who shooed him away. He hissed, but didn't pursue. Instead he came to rest under the table at Hoguns feet. The grim man reached down to give him a sympathetic pat. At least there was one jotunn who didn't seem so monstrous.  
  Everyone at the table jumped as the doors burst open to three young boys chasing a large, squealing pig into the room, hooping and hollering and waving their herding sticks to try and corral the hog but unable to keep up with it. The few servants puttering around the hall screamed and ran for the kitchen door, falling over each other to make it out before the beast reached them. The warriors quickly got to their feet and attempted to help, but the pig had been oiled to keep anyone from grabbing it. It squealed and stumbled it's way around the room, knocking over chairs as it evaded any attempts at capture. For such a fat animal it was quick! Sif kept near the door and waited for it to come near, then lunged and grappled with it before Hogun accidentally scared it into making a sharp turn, knocking her off. She rolled into a table leg and winced when Fandral, who had been following quickly behind, tripped over her legs.  
  In a flash Loki shot out from under the table and skidded a turn to keep up with the pig. Twice he was able to slash at it before it ran out of his grip.The warriors three and Sif watched in amazement as the two dashed out into the hall where Loki was finally able to pounce and sink his claws into its flank. The pig, which was about 200 lbs, fell to its side with a mighty thud and gave an unholy shriek that startled anyone nearby. Through its thrashing Loki did not let go. Once the group had caught up and wrapped a lead around its neck he released it and backed away to lick his claws clean. Fandral heatedly chastised the boys for allowing the pig to get away from them, especially within the castle.  
  “We were preparing it for the cooks!” One said, already crying. “we didn't know it was so quick!”  
  Sif stood in front of them with her hands on her hips, intimidating. “You three should count yourselves lucky that it didn't harm anyone. And be thankful that Prince Thor's Jotunn was able to catch it with minimal damage.”  
  The three looked to the runt, curious about the creature but too shaken to stay. They muttered another apology before taking the pig back to the kitchens. The warriors all looked to Loki who seemed at ease about the situation.  
  It was Fandral who broke the silence first. “ what a clever beasty you are! You were so quick and didn't tear that hog apart. I thought for sure we'd have a big mess on our hands.” he came to crouch in front of Loki and scratched behind his ears as he continued uttering praises at him. Loki seemed much more smitten with the loud mouth than before and purred at the treatment. Hogun grunted in affirmation as he also began patting his black hair, which caused Loki to practically vibrate with happiness.  
  Sif laughed and came to join in. “Alright, so maybe he's not so bad after all. And it looks like no one needs to teach him how to hunt.”  
  Everyone shared a grin. Volstagg ribbed Hogun. “Do you think we can teach him a trick before Thor gets back?”  
\----------------  
  The meeting was tedious as always, which was why Thor usually slipped out of going as often as he could. This one, apparently, had been too important to miss. A delegation of dwarves had heard that the dark elves had sinister plans that had been leaked to a few smiths. They wrote to king Odin at once to tell him of what they had heard.  
  Thor wasn't concerned. Their military was still riding the high of victory and could be defeated by no one. Especially not the pitiful, unorganized ranks of the elves.  
  Thor searched most of the castle before finding his friends at the west side of the castle. It was prime location where the open structure allowed wind to blow between the pillars, but the rounded roof kept them in cool shade. His mother had been sure to line the walkway with ferns and lilies that were watered by a natural spring nearby, which cooled the air and made it perfect for leisure. The group was sitting on benches lounging comfortably with little Loki stretched out against the floor. Thor tiptoed his way over to the jotunn to study him closely in the daylight.  
  He certainly was a magnificent looking thing now that his wounds were healing. He was such a charming shade of blue with heritage lines making attractive patterns across his body and disappearing under his tunic. Never had he seen such a gentle looking jotunn. Thor wondered if he should let him grow out his horns, what would they look like? Would they curve? Would they only be a few inches long?  
  Loki yawned and accidentally brushed a hand against his boot, causing him to blink sleepily up at him. He gave a contented smile and sat up to butt his head against Thors leg. Thor huffed a laugh and began stroking his hair back behind his ears. He was always so nice and cool. Thankfully he wasn't too uncomfortable with the weather.  
  His friends began waking as well and quickly rubbed the sleep out of their eyes. Fandral stretched and announced that he had something to show him.  
  “Loki.” he called to the runt. Loki turned to look at him, recognizing his name. Fandral snapped his fingers and pointed down to his shoes. “Heel.”  
Loki crawled over to him still looking tired, and sat where the blond had pointed. Fandral held his hand out. “Shake.” Loki stuck his hand out and placed it in Fandral's, staying still as the man shook his hand up and down. “Roll.” he commanded while circling a finger. Loki did a quick roll before sitting up again.  
  Thor clapped at the tricks with a grin. “I dearly wish I had been here for this instead of being in that meeting.”  
  “Oh, Thor-” Sif chuckled. “You don't know the half of what happened while you were gone.”


	4. The forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I dont know if that will work, but I tried. Anyway, here's some plot building for you

 Thor got used to waking with Loki pressed close to him in some fashion. With the cool of the night, his body heat was of little concern to the jotunn who wanted physical contact more than anything. What a miserable life it must have had, trapped in that room on a short chain and no kindness. Now, Loki was completely devoted to him just as his mother had said he would be. Even raising his voice did not phase him anymore. 

  The past month had been filled with exercising with his friends, meetings with his father, and working with his pet to build his trust. Loki was a spoiled brat, thanks to his friends and mother, but he was far too cute for Thor to be truly mad at him. 

   This morning found Loki curled tightly against Thors right arm and making soft noises in his sleep. Thor swept a few strands of hair behind his ear and murmured “Loki” in a low rumble. Loki frowned and clung more tightly. “We need to get up. If we do not hurry we won't make it to the forest before sunrise.” Loki growled and peeked an eye at him, which was the least threatening thing Thor had ever seen. 

  He sat up and caused Loki to tumble against him, earning him a bite to his hip. “Ow! You brat!” he yelped and jumped out of the bed, then checked the wound to find that the runt had only applied a light pressure and didn't break the skin. 

  Loki hopped off the bed and did a full body shake before heading to the bathing chamber, most likely to relieve himself. That was another peculiarity that Thor couldn't wrap his mind around. Who would have trained him to do that? Surely not the princes. Sometimes Thor couldn't understand how smart Loki seemed when he wasn't chasing feathers or getting pampered by every female in the castle. 

  Thor had commissioned a dark green tunic for his beast, long enough to reach his knees with slits up the side to mid thigh for easier movement. Perfect for today's activities. When Loki returned to his side he helped him into it and tied a thin sash around his waist. Loki admired himself in the mirror as Thor got dressed. When Thor was finished he noticed that Loki was eyeing him carefully in that oddly intelligent way of his, as if assessing his physique. Good thing Thor knew he was attractive or he might feel self conscious. 

  Loki eyed the bed longingly and started to creep towards it while Thor was putting his boots on. “Loki. Heel!” the runt ducked his head, but came to his side anyway, pouting as they headed out into the dark early morning. 

  The servants had prepared a pack for him and his friends that was waiting for him near the stables, as well as five horses prepared for a treck to the woods. Queen Frigga gave him a kiss on the cheek, then turned her attention the the crouching jotunn.

 “Loki, I am going to put a spell on you for protection against the heat. It will only last for today and may feel uncomfortable at first, but it is better than being too hot.” she said kindly as she began waving a hand over him. There was a light mist that seemed to absorb into the blue skin, then disappear as if it had never been there. Loki shuddered and whined, but stayed still. When it was all done Thor gave him a pat on the head and muttered a quick praise. 

  Sif was the first to jump onto her saddle. “Last one to the forest has to build the fire pit!” she exclaimed before kicking her horse into action. The boys watched her for a moment as her figure became smaller and smaller across the field before their sleepy minds understood her challenge. Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun climbed onto their own steeds with much less grace and shot off into the distance after her. 

  Thor turned to Loki and picked him up, settling him on his side to walk him to the horse. Loki tensed and pressed against him. “Shh it's alright. This is Martha and she is very sweet. We are going to ride her to the forest, doesn't that sound exciting?”

Martha was less than thrilled in the presence of a jotunn, but had been trained to stand still. That didn't put Loki at ease, though, as he was placed astride the leather saddle. Thor quickly slid behind him and wrapped an arm around his torso to keep him steady. 

  His friends were already leagues ahead of him, so he would need to work quickly to catch up.

 Without hesitation he kicked the horses sides and leaned forward as she sprung alive, tearing across the field as fast as she could. Loki gave a squeal and twisted around as best he could to cling to Thor's shirt. Thor laughed and held him tighter.

 “It is alright, my pet.” he raised his voice to be heard over the rush of wind. “But if we do not hurry we will have to build the fire! And I do not want you out here when the sun comes up.” 

  Loki looked to the East where the first tendrils of light were appearing across the purple sky. He then buried his face into Thor's chest again and whimpered. 

   Thor gave him a sympathetic smile he couldn't see. They were coming up to Volstagg who was cantering to a trot, his horse unable to keep up a run with such a heavy weight. He gave them a rude gesture as they sped past, all while laughing good naturedly. Even with the threat of making the fire pit out of the way Thor did not stop his relentless pace. He was sure he could catch up with the rest if he kept going. 

   He could see his friends ahead of him as well as the edge of the vast forest. He needed to make his victory quick. Loki yelped as the horse kept over a large rock and clung to Thor with all his might. Now his whines were higher pitched and more persistent. 

  Fandral gave a mighty curse, but came to a full stop once Thor passed him. It seems he was ready to give up the fight but didn't want anyone to know it.  Hogun ducked lower on his horse, reducing the wind resistance, and moved in motion with his horse. Soon he and Thor were neck and neck. They switched leads back and forth for a good half mile before Hoguns horse stumbled on a dip and thankfully caught its footing before getting hurt. Unfortunately for him there was no catching back up since they were so close to the treeline. 

  Sif looked over her shoulder at the prince catching up. “Be careful, my prince. Wouldn't want to exhaust yourself before the hunt begins.” she laughed and spurred her horse faster. 

  Thor grunted at the insult and released his hold on Loki to tighten his grip on the reigns. He would be the first, if only to lord it personally over Sif! It became easier to navigate the terrain as the sun rose and lit each bump and crevice. Thor kept a steady stream of kicks against the flank of his horse, muttering encouragements to go faster through gritted teeth. 

   “Ha!” Sif shouted as she passed the first set of trees right before Thor could pass her. “I win!” she swept the sweat from her face with a wide grin. 

  Thor grumbled as he followed quickly after. His horse panted from the run, shuddering lightly from muscle soreness so early in the morning, but would soon recover. Thor smacked his leg in frustration. 

 “I had an extra weight. And YOU took off early!” 

  Sif shrugged her shoulders. “You received your horse when I did, my prince. It was your decision-” 

  “keep your excuses. I need none of it.” he practically growled. It took him an extra moment to see past his anger to notice he still had someone clinging to his front and shaking. “Loki?” he called, reaching to touch his thin shoulders to pull him back. Loki refused at first, but Thor was insistent. He finally managed to get Loki's face away long enough to see the tears and distress. 

 “Loki, what is wrong?” Thor asked. He leaned back even further in the saddle to see as much of the jotunn as possible. “You didn't get hurt, did you?” 

  Sif rode up to their side. “He is probably scared. You are going very fast and he probably doesn't understand horseback riding.” 

 Fandral and Hogun entered the forest together and took in the emotions of the group, seeing that Sif and Thor were both focused around Loki who was obviously very distraught. “What happened to little Loki?” Fandral asked and came to the other side. His horse was slightly shorter than Thors, so he was able to look up at the curled jotunn and pet his hair. “It's alright, Loki. You're safe. We will take care of you. Do you want to get down? Let us go look for the stream.” he kept uttering soothing words to the runt, coaxing him off the horse and helping him down to the grass. Loki crouched down onto all fours, still shaking and trying very hard to catch his breath. Once he was on the ground he stumbled away from the horses that felt as tall as ice giants and backed against a tree near the edge of the clearing. Fandral approached slowly, only stopping when Loki whined and shut his eyes. 

   Volstagg circled his horse around and away from the group and tied it to a tree. He plodded over as quietly as he could and sat against another tree a few feet away. “My, my. Must have been an eventful first horse ride, eh? But look at that view!” he motioned to the open field they had run through moments before. With the sun fully over the horizon the dew was glistening and the sky had turned bright orange, fading into blue to the west. It was peaceful and quiet, so unlike the chase earlier. It was serene. Beautiful, full of colors not found on Jotunnheim, and it was nice to have a moment to take it in. Loki looked up at them and slowly calmed, seeing that the danger was over with. Volstagg scooted closer next to Fandral and ruffled the jotunn’s hair. “There we are, lad. All better?” Loki huffed at him and shook his head to try and get his hair to sit back the way he liked it. The two men laughed at the sight and got up to return to their horses.

  Loki peeked over to where Thor was, talking heatedly with Sif as Hogun watched with a scowl. He did not want to return while they were giving off such angry energy. 

 “Apologize to him.” Sif demanded.

 “He can't understand me, what good would that do?” Thor scoffed. “I have nothing to apologize for. It was just a race.”

  Hogun stepped in and said “He may not fully understand our words, but he understands emotion. And right now you are giving off the wrong emotions.” 

  “I am allowed to feel however I want!” Thor shouted and instantly regretted it. He looked over to where Loki was still huddled and saw him flinch at making eye contact. He hadn't done that in weeks and he had considered that a victory of patience. Now he was ruining it all over again. 

   He let out a loud sigh and held a fist to the bridge of his nose with his eyes clenched shut. This was stupid. He shouldn't have to apologize to anyone. If anything, Sif should apologize for cheating and starting the race. 

  But holding on to his anger was going to just make everyone upset. And he needed to show Loki that hunting was fun, for they would be doing it often in the future. He needed to be a good friend and a good owner. He was tired and upset and feeling called out on something unfair. But he just couldn't seem to release his feelings of rage. 

  He jumped off his horse and started walking. No one said anything as he made a beeline into the foliage and out of sight. 

 Sif rolled her eyes and motioned to the warriors three. “Come on, Volstagg. You get to make the fire pit.” 

 The big man groaned, but obediently began collecting rocks for the border. Fandral and Hogun ushered Loki to follow after them deeper into the woods. Loki hesitated, looking a bit ill, but that was most likely from the misadventure he had just lived through. 

  Within no time they had a fire pit cleared and ready. Hogun took pity and helped his friend collect firewood while Sif whittled long sticks to spear whatever they caught over the fire. Loki laid close by, mildly interested in what they were doing, but also looking more and more nauseous as time went on. 

  Hogun returned with an armload of firewood and dramatically dumped it next to Sif, nearly jabbing her with some of the branches. 

“Hey!” She exclaimed and scooted away, glaring up at the man. “Watch where you put those!” 

 Hogun said nothing but glared back with equal heat. He stomped over to a nearby rock and rummaged in his pack for his whetstone to sharpen his knives. Fandral and Sif gave each other a look, but didn't know what to make of his mood. Volstagg clamored out of the treeline into the clearing with only a few twigs which all seemed to be pine. 

 Sif chuffed at his bundle and shooed him away. “We can't burn that, idiot. Evergreens produce too much smoke.” 

  “That is what I told him.” Hogun said sharply as his stone slid across his blade. Well, that mildly explained his mood. Why was everyone so angry all of a sudden? 

  Fandral stood and slung his quiver across his back. “What is the matter with you all? We came out here to hunt and have fun. You are all acting like your boots are full of rainwater. Were we not scolding Thor moments ago for his attitude?”

 “Get off your pedestal, Fandral.” Sif snarled. “You're not perfect!” 

  “I never claimed to-” 

“Go be useful and get some water from the stream.” Volstagg said dismissively. Fandral looked around the camp to all his friends, wondering why they were acting like this. He sighed and put down his arrows once again, then gathered the water horns. 

 “You all had better be in a better mood when I return.” He said under his breath. “Loki, do you want to come with me?” 

  Loki rubbed his cheek against the grass miserably, looking very ill. Probably best that he stay here. Fandral shrugged his shoulders and began his trek to the freshwater spring a few meters away. 

     His short journey was tense and he had hoped that being alone amid the trees would calm him. But the anger just grew with each step, burning behind his sternum and coiling like an ugly snake. He wanted to punch something so badly that he couldn't keep his thoughts straight long enough to think about why he was so mad. 

   He made it to the stream where he bent in the dirt to uncork the horns and dip them in the water. While switching out one filled horn for an empty, he noticed something shiny upstream. It was a tiny little sparkle, but enough to catch his attention. 

   Fandral scooted over to it and dipped his hand into the ice cold water to retrieve it. When he took it out and looked upon it he jolted with the realization that it was an arrow. An elven arrow. 

   He suddenly looked around the forest for signs of enemies, but could see nor sense any. He had been so distracted by his anger that he hadn't thought to look around him! He had to make it back to the group to tell them in case there was danger! 

   He made it to the clearing to see that Thor was back and holding Loki up by one of his arms, growling something angrily at him. His entire face was red from pure rage and Loki was yowling and clawing to get away. Everyone else watched with their own nasty glares and did nothing to stop him. Something was very wrong indeed!


	5. The forest pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is everyone so angry? Is it the forest or is someone else pulling strings? 
> 
> If anyone wants to make fan art or anything feel free :)

  Thor's chest heaved with the effort of holding back his full fury. At this point, he wasn't even sure what he was angry about. It was everything. It was the way his shirt rubbed at his sore shoulders. It was the way his friends stood in a circle around him. It was the humid heat of the forest. It was the weakness of his pitiful jotunn that he had been dumb enough to spare and waste his time on. 

  Loki yelped when Thor shook him and tried to stand in the awkward stance Thor had forced him in. Sif spat at him.

  Fandral didn't understand at first, but the longer he stood the more he agreed with their hatred. This forest was annoying. Everything was annoying. LOKI was annoying. He stomped over to where the two stood and yanked on the runts hair. “Stop making those noises or I'll give you something to howl about.” 

  “He is my beast, none have the right to touch him but me.” Thor shouted, punctuated by a roll of thunder from above, and pushed Fandral away. He stumbled, twisting his ankle and falling into the still wet grass. The dew soaked through his pants to the skin and made his skin crawl at the awful feeling. A flare of new anger took hold of him. 

  Fandral launched himself at Thor and the two tumbled to the ground, grappling with each other in the dirt near the fire pit. Volstagg, Hogun, and Sif couldn't handle the overwhelming need to punch something and took this opportunity to join the fight, mindless with anger and the need for violence. 

 Loki crawled to the safety of the trees. He whimpered and looked down to his arm where a large, hand shaped bruise was blooming on his bicep. He felt so sick and dizzy. He wanted to be back at the castle in bed. He wanted to be anywhere but here. His illness took hold before he could run and he doubled over to expel everything in his stomach until there was nothing left. He groaned and scooted far enough away from his mess to flop to the ground without landing in it.

   The group traded blows, preferring to feel the crack of skin on skin rather than using their weapons. Hogun dug his fingers into Sifs neck until she collided their heads together and slipped away. Fandral sent a kick to Thor’s side and followed with another to his legs. Thor growled and whipped around, punching his jaw hard enough to send him spinning to the ground. Volstagg gripped Hoguns arm and lifted him off the ground, attempting to flip him and send him crashing head first, but Hogun managed to slip his hold and bend the big man's arm back until he cried out. 

  Fandral landed on his back, his head hitting the ground hard enough to daze him for a moment. He looked out and over to where Loki lay huddled under the foliage of a nearby tree. He grinned wolfishly at the little runt. 

“Loki.” he called and got the welps attention. “Heel.” 

  Loki furrowed his brow, understanding the order but most definitely not wanting to obey. He stayed where he was, but lifted himself into a position where he could run if needed. Fandral rolled onto all fours and laughed. “Little Loki. Little runt. Come here.” he crawled towards him. 

  Loki backed away. He growled warningly and snapped his teeth at the man which only made Fandral seem more excited. When the man leapt to his feet and shot towards him the jotunn stumbled into a run in the opposite direction.

   “A hunt!” Fandral shouted and raised his fist. The others stopped their fighting to take in the situation and quickly began the chase. 

  Loki zig zagged around clumps of trees to take advantage of his low center of gravity. Fandral, drunk on his anger, wasn't as quick to follow his turns and lost precious inches each time. Loki darted under low branches and quickly changed directions in hopes of causing him to lose sight of him, but Fandral was too good of a hunter for such a ploy. 

  Thor quickly caught up and grabbed the man's shoulder to fling him away. “It is mine!” he snarled and pushed himself to run faster. The others tried to keep up. 

  Loki waited until he was far enough ahead that he couldn't see the group and ducked under a fallen tree. The group ran past, practically frothing at the mouth and panting heavily. Loki waited a beat, then climbed out of his spot to run back the way he came. The group was too far gone to notice they were chasing nothing and Loki used this to his advantage. 

   He returned to the edge of the forest where they had entered and started longingly across the open expanse. The jotunn wouldn't dare run across in broad daylight, still fearful of being burnt despite the spell on him, and decided to climb as high as he could to avoid detection. Once the sun fell he would disappear into the tall grass and go back to the castle. For now he needed rest. He was still dizzy, but the illness seemed to be lighter here at the edge of the forest. He felt better the further away from the forest he got. 

 --------------

 The warriors became beastly the longer they stayed in the forest. Each of them overwhelmed with anger and a vague idea that they were supposed to hunt. They became crazed, wide eyed, feral. They stopped running after the jotunn mongrel and instead turned towards each direction of the forest in search of something to tear apart. The molten anger within their chests grew with each step they took towards the heart of the forest.

   Hogun took to punching a thick tree with his bare fists when he could find nothing else. Everyone else was gone and he became absorbed in his task. He hardly noticed when a dark figure peeked around a tree and readied their bow. It was the sound of the notching of the arrow that caused him to stop and turn around.

  He barely spun out of the way in time to avoid the dark metal arrow from sinking into his heart. It instead thunked deeply into the tree he had been using. Hogun turned to his new enemy and prepared to attack, but his opponent was much better prepared. He had no weapon, he was exhausted from being on edge for hours, he was slow and sloppy from his anger. There was no way he could hope to take this mysterious enemy head on and he had at least enough waits about him to retreat. The being did not follow him.


	6. The forest pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki makes a run for it.

Warning: brief violence until the page break

  The skies rolled constantly with dark clouds and lightning. Thor was on a rampage.  
  He marched through the forest in pursuit of any living creature he could wrestle to the ground and beat to a bloody pulp. When the anger became too much he would punch at the trees, usually breaking them or causing them to fall. He shouted to the sky and felt a flicker of ease when the lightning flashed back.  
  The whistle from an arrow was masked by the sound of thunder and caught Thor by surprise, more so when it lodged deeply into his shoulder. He howled, not from pain, but from the rekindling of his rage. He twisted the arrow out with no care to the damage the exit caused and threw it in the general direction of where it had come from. Once he spotted the cloaked figure on the distance he let out a battle cry before launching himself.  
  The archer attempted to flee from the asgardian berserker, but is too slow to react before his head is smashed into a trunk. The spray of blood and other matter hits his arm and chest to mix with the dirt and sweat covering him. The newly animalistic thrill of the hunt goads Thor to look for more of these mysterious prey. It starts to rain.  
\--------------- end of violence ---  
  Loki blinks awake when a drop hits his face. The skies are now roiling and dark. Perfect for him to make his escape.  
  He gently climbs down the tree, keeping an ear out for trouble, then sits at the base for a minute to let his senses wander. There are no immediate threats nearby. Then again, it is hard to hear for snapping twigs when it is raining and thundering so hard.  
  Loki slips to the edge of the meadow and sees the distant pinpricks of light from the direction of the castle. It will be a long journey, but it is better than staying in this forest that makes him feel ill. And better to get away from the dangerous aesir.  
  He is about to step out into the clearing when a flash of lightning illuminates a figure near the treeline to his left. The being makes its way towards him, obviously noticing him there. No chance to hide. He is already exposed. Loki makes a run for it across the field and hopes that he will be quick enough.  
  His master gives a mighty yell and charges in his direction. Loki yelps and sprints on all fours as quickly as his weak body can go. Thor is so much bigger than him. So much stronger. He cannot allow himself to be caught.  
  Thor salivates at the thought of his prize. He no longer recognizes who or what it is, but it is running and it is sport for him to chase. His teeth gnash at the thought of ripping it apart. He picks up speed until he can't push himself any further and starts to gain ground against it.  
  Loki cannot weave back and forth as he had before. His fear won't allow him to deviate. He must reach his goal! But already he is tiring and he can only now see the spires of the tallest towers in the distance. There is no way he can reach it, especially with his feet slipping against the wet grass.  
  Thor dives and grasps the thing around its waist, then pins it to the mud triumphantly. It squirms and cries out when he grabs it by the hair with one arm, then slips a hand around its throat with the other.  
  Loki becomes paralyzed with his fear. He cannot move and only lets out a low keen as Thor manhandles him and pulls his hair. A large calloused hand grips his neck and tightens achingly slow. The wild aesir above him seems to revel in the torture of it.  
  His hand slips beneath the collar. Just when Loki feels he is going to pass out, the hand loses its grip. He takes in greedy gulps of air, getting rain water in his lungs and coughing it all up. Thor keeps his hand resting against his throat, but is no longer strangling him. When Loki looks back up at him he looks confused.  
   “Loki?”  
  The jotunn tries to squirm away, but Thor readjusts his hold to cradle him against his lap. They stay there for a few moments as Loki calms down in the familiar scent and Thor comes to grips with what he had almost done.  
  Once they are both calmed and completely soaked, Thor looks to the forest where his friends were still wandering around, probably searching for something to fight just as he had been. He wanted to go back in and fight the dastardly foes who had put them under some kind of enchantment, but he needed to get Loki back to the castle first and tell his father.  
  He pet Loki’s wet hair and kissed his forehead. “You are such a strong creature. I'm so sorry for what I did.” he muttered. Loki butted his nose against Thors jaw and mewled. All was forgiven. Thor stood with him still cradled in his arms. The skies began to clear slowly as he trudged back to the castle.


	7. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some filler fluff for now

The king and queen were waiting for him, visibly distressed in their own ways. Eir and her assistants were quick to usher Thor over to them to check him over as quickly as possible, since the chances of him staying put for a full examination were nonexistent. 

  “Father, there are enemies in the southern forest.” he blurted quickly. He handed Loki off to his mother and showed the drying blood on his arms. “I took one out, but they are quick and disguise themselves. They put some sort of enchantment on any who enter the forest. We all became angry within moments and split ways.” 

  Frigga held Loki against her like a child. It was amazing how he could curl into such small balls when he was almost as tall as Thor himself when he stood. “I can feel dark energy upon you, but Loki is clean. I assume the bindings on his collar kept all enchantments from reaching him.” 

  Thor nodded and reached over to pet his jotunn's hair. “Indeed. He was sickly from it, and it was only when I left the forest and had my hand under the collar itself that I broke free of its hold.” He turned back to his father. “ Sif and the Warriors Three are still within the forest, though I know not how they fare. We lost each other at some point and became so animal minded that we couldn't recognize one another.” 

  Odin nodded and sent for Tyr. When the man hurried to his king's side, Odin told him of the situation and to have his men be ready to incapacitate, but not harm, Thors companions. Tyr motioned to his head officers and set off to get his men ready. 

  Frigga came close so that Loki could reach out and grab at his neck, stretching himself between the two and climbing into Thors arms to snuggle. Thor laughed and rubbed his cheek against the top of his head. “Alright, you spoilt beast.” 

 “Come inside and tell me what happened.” Frigga motioned and lifted her skirts to ascend the stairs. Thor followed after her. 

\-----------

   Loki lay across Thors lap in utter contentment. He had gotten food, he wasn't feeling sick, his master wasn't angry, and he was getting scratches. He began purring loudly. 

  Thor smiled sadly at his pet while he finished the tale. “And after all we did to him he acts as if none of it happened. I tried to kill him, but it only took a moment to make him not afraid.” 

  A servant brought over a tea tray and set it down before disappearing against the wall of the dark room. Another servant finished restoking the fireplace. Frigga poured herself a cup and stirred in a small amount of sugar before answering. “He loves you. As I said he would.” she took a sip. “That collar must be more powerful than we thought. You only had a few fingers under it and it broke you out of a berserker rage.” 

  Thor nodded and idly stroked down Loki's back. “I want to remove it. But I don't know how.” 

  She smiled like she knew a secret and turned to look at the fire. “You will know how to do it when it is most important, love. Little Loki still has some healing to do in the meantime.” 

   There was no arguing with a seer, so Thor just nodded numbly and slumped further against the couch. “I do wish to be there to rescue my friends.” 

 “You are too susceptible to the dark magic. It already clung to you once and would be harder to lift a second time. They will be fine, my dear.” 

 The three fell into silence with Loki rumbling his happiness until the soldiers returned much later with his friends. They were each hogtied to the backs of their horses, shouting and angry but thankfully uninjured. 


	8. The decree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Understanding the motive of the people in the forest.

 Thor awoke to find himself in bed with Loki nuzzled into his side. It was quiet and dark, probably close to sunrise, and there was a light knocking on his door. He got out of bed as quietly as he could to leave Loki and answer it.  There was an apprentice to the medical hall waiting for him nervously. He handed the prince a note, bowed, then scurried away, most likely back to Eir.

   Thor took the note to the window to see the writing by the light of the stars. It seemed his friends were awake, fully healed, and asking for him. He didn't hesitate to get dressed and make his way to the medical hall to greet them. 

  All four were sitting up, talking lightly and nodding their heads in agreement to whatever was being said. When Thor approached it was Fandral who smiled first. It made the tension behind his shoulder blades disappear and he smiled back.

 “I am glad you are back to normal, friends.” he said happily. Everyone else agreed, looking incredibly tired and worn down. 

 Hogun cleared his throat and asked quietly “How is Loki?” 

 The group became quiet and sad again. The warriors three looked to Thors side and found the fact that the little jotunn wasn't here to be very telling. Fandral clenched his fists and looked away. They had worked so hard to earn his trust and they had dashed it all. 

  Thor surprised them all by laughing. “He is hale. I thought it best not to wake him for he was deeply asleep when you sent for me.” This was obviously not what they had expected to hear, if the skeptical looks were anything to go by. 

 Volstagg sat up further on the bed. “He will not want to see us when he wakes. We were horrible to him.” 

   Sif nodded. “It will take a great while to build that trust again. If we can at all.” 

  “Friends, you misunderstand.” Thor assured them. “Loki is alright. I think he realizes it wasn't of our own doing, for he was curled to my side moments ago.” 

  “Your majesty.” One of Eirs assistants appeared from behind the cloth divider and shushed them. “There are other patients sleeping. You will have to come back tomorrow morning.” 

  Thor gave her a dazzling apology smile and left, telling them over his shoulder that Loki would accompany him when next he came. 

\-------------

 The All-Father stood to greet his son in his throne room. With a quick motion he ordered the guards to leave so he may speak privately. 

  “What news have you of the events in the forest?” 

  Thor held out a scroll with each account his friends have given to the royal scribe. “Fandral found an elven arrow before we succumbed to the dark magic in place. It is the dark elves, father. They pitted us against each other. They wanted us to become animal minded.” 

  Odin hummed and skimmed the writings. “Do you have any ideas why?” 

  Thor straightened his shoulders. “To make us seem weak.” 

 Odin shook his head with a disappointed tilt of his lips. “You are looking at the simple answer. It is much more than that.” He threw the scroll onto the seat of the throne and took gungnir in hand. With a sweep of his arm a display of lights showing Thor himself in his berserker state. Thor grimaced and blushed hotly at the reminder of his weakness. “You are our best warrior, my son. This makes you a target, if you can be separated from your men.” with another motion of his hand image-Thor was tearing through the castle, ripping apart tapestries and people and the soldiers hesitated to take him down. Because of their uncertainty, Thor is able to continue his rampage. The real Thor is ashamed that this might have been a real scenario. 

   “They would not have needed to act at all to have us weakened. All they needed was to put you against asgard. Fill you with dark magic and hate.” Odin looked weary as he closed his hand and allowed the images to fade. “The archers were to force you towards the castle. They did not expect you to break free so quickly.” 

   Thor was horrified of what this meant for him. “Father… I can still fight-”

  “No, Thor.” Odin scowled at him and hit gungnir against the marble floor. “I am ordering you to stand down until we fully realise the threats presented to us. If you, of all warriors, fall victim to their wicked plans, then Asgard will fall.” 

  He stood in silence for a moment, letting it sink in. “That is not fair.” he stated dumbly as his indignant anger boiled within him. 

  “Life is not fair. WAR is not fair.” Odin declared. “Have you learned nothing? Once you are king you cannot run headfirst into trouble!” His gaze softened as he took the steps down to stand before his son. He rested a wizened hand on a broad shoulder. “Thor, if it had only been your warrior companions, it would not be such a threat. But you are so mighty, so important, that our people would never be able to do what was necessary if you should fall to the curse again. Do you understand?” 

   Thor shook the hand off his shoulder. “You think me weak for becoming enchanted.” he accused through gritted teeth. 

  Odin grabbed him by the arm once again, firmly this time. “I never said that. It is not weakness, for it is something all men are susceptible to.” 

  Thor huffed and looked away. “What would you have me do?” 

   “Continue training. Keep yourself ready. If the time comes, you will be here to defend the castle. You will not go out looking for trouble.”

   Thor nodded, bowed, and went to his rooms. The skies crackled with energy in his wake.


	9. General Tyr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor comes to grips with the decision to stay behind for the upcoming battle.

  The door banged against the wall and knocked a few books off the shelf as Thor came storming into his rooms. Loki jumped up, arching his back and hissing before seeing that it is Thor. He settled again slowly, yawning and keeping an eye on him. 

  Thor doesn't know what to do with himself other than punch things and his room is not the place to do it. He jerkily changed into his sparring clothes, getting frustrated at his shirt catching against his belt, and stomped his foot. He grunted and slammed the wardrobe shut, then left without even looking in the Jotunns direction. Loki went back to sleep, unconcerned with the tantrum he just witnessed. 

  Thor threw himself mindlessly into training for the next few hours to keep himself from thinking about his father. He sweats himself sick by midday, when everyone else on the field had given up and gone to rest somewhere cool. The skies were now cloudless, bright, and warm. Thor hated it. 

  He ripped a sandbag dummy off the stick and hurled it across the field. He did not truly feel any better. If anything he felt more hopeless. He felt like he was being punished for being good at fighting. Since no one else was here, Thor sat in the dirt and put his head in his hands. 

    “You are angry and you have a right to be.” Thor looked up to see general Tyr standing in front of him. The man was twirling a training sword. “But know that a smart leader knows when he is more of a liability than a help.” 

  He stood and brushed the dirt from his leggings, then picked up his own sword. “I know, Tyr.” 

  “Do you? Then what do you plan to do while we are off fighting the enemy?” 

  Thor frowned and took a fighting stance. “Defend the castle, as the All-Father has commanded.” He quickly blocked a hit to the side. 

   Tyr continued to send blow after blow, beating him back steadily until Thor, exhausted and overheated, fell back completely and lay panting on the ground. The general stood over him for a moment before helping him to stand. Tyr clasped the princes forearm and leaned in closer. “The queen says to tell you that your place at the castle will come with hard choices.” 

 “What does that mean?” 

Tyr shrugged. “She is a seer. Nobody knows what she means.”


	10. Chapter 10

  Loki is up and sniffing around his room when he comes inside. The jotunn immediately comes to his side, looking very unimpressed and begins nudging his legs. Thor sighs and reaches down to pet him. “I know, Loki. I will feed you. Goat cheese and some frozen fish, how does that sound?”

  He called for a servant to bring him lunch and prepare a cool bath. In the meantime he sat back in one of his lounge chairs with Loki held tight on his lap so he could soak in the cold of his skin. Perhaps he had overdone it with training. 

  Loki seemed pleased with his lunch and with watching his master take a bath. He came close and touched the water carefully, then backed away with a growl when he found it still too hot for his liking. Thor laughed and flicked some water at him which earned him a hiss. 

 Afterwards, when he was dressed, he motioned for Loki to follow him out to the hall. Loki loped after him, keeping close as they made their way to the medical wing. Volstagg was sleeping, but everyone else was doing stretches on their beds with the limited mobility Eir had allowed them. 

  Everyone waited to see what Loki would do upon seeing them, but he sauntered over without much care, sniffed the air, then jumped onto Hoguns bed and mewled and stretched onto the covers against the mans legs. Hogun gave him a startled smile and scratched the runt behind the ear. Sif slipped out of bed to come coo at him. 

  Fandral laughed. “Well that is a surprise.” 

  Loki nudged his cheek against Sifs hand and gave a quiet rumble. She couldn't hold back the warm smile creeping onto her face. “You are full of surprises, aren't you?” 

  “Speaking of surprises, my father has banned me from joining any upcoming battles with the elves.” Thor said hotly. He felt justified when his friends reacted with surprise and anger as well. Everyone else so far had acted as if it made sense, which it obviously didn't. 

  Volstagg came awake at the sound of his friends arguing. “What? What is- oh hello, little Loki.” the man leaned over to ruffle his hair, which Loki did not enjoy. 

  “He is holding back Asgards greatest weapon!” Fandral hollered. Eir shushed them from somewhere down the hall.

 Volstagg turned to Thor with confusion. “Are you not joining us to beat back the elves?”

  “I can't. The All-Father has ordered me to stay back and defend the castle.”

  “But-” 

  Sif held up a hand to stop Volstagg from continuing. “You're about to cross dangerous territory. If the All-Father decrees it, then we need to cope with it.” Though she didn't sound happy about it. “In the meantime we will continue to train.” 

  Thor sat next to his pet at the foot of the bed with a mighty huff. Loki came to rub against his side with a happy chirp and everyone silently melted internally at the sight. Thor in particular. 

   They sat in a deep, awkward silence for a while before Eir came to check their wounds. Thor got up quickly to avoid being noticed and forced to undergo an examination, of which he would fail. He had many cuts and bruises that she would fuss over. 

  “Loki, heel.” he pointed to his shoes. Loki hopped down from the medic bed and crawled over to him, then followed him back to the royal wing. Thor had much on his mind and needed to speak with his mother. 

  ------------

     Frigga was more than happy to see him, but Thor thinks to himself that it is more for Loki than him. Loki stays for a moment to receive pets from the queen, then makes his way into the sewing room. Thor can hear many happy squeals and women making baby talk to his pet, so he decides not to pursue the jotunn. 

   "Mother, do you have some secret knowledge about why I am to be stuck here and not go to battle?" He asked in a harsh whisper. "Because I would dearly like to hear it. " 

  Frigga jut smiled and said "I always have secret knowledge." She stood on her tiptoes to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. "But I cannot share it. You know this. Believe me when I say you will be happy with the results." 

   He would get no more out of her it seemed. It didn't help to hear that he would like how it all ended because that could mean anything. Does he get treasure? He wouldn't have earned it. Is it just satisfaction that the enemy is gone? Not knowing is driving him mad. But seers cannot share their visions verbally, for fear of changing the course. That is why his mother is so busy with a new tapestry. Thor wishes it were done now. 

    He kisses his mother on the cheek as well. "I am going to speak with general Tyr about training the younger warriors. May I leave Loki with you?"

   "Oh please do." She said with a laugh. "The girls are smitten."

    Thor peeked his head around to see that, indeed, many girls and women were swarmed around the runt, speaking nonsense to him and petting him. Loki looked lost, but he wasn't hissing or trying to get away.  He would get used to this level of attention soon. Thor shook his head and left him to it. 


	11. The battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle begins

 The prince spent most every day training with Tyr and his men, sparring with anyone who felt like sparring, resting only when he became so thirsty he couldn't speak, and trying very hard not to think about what was coming. 

 In the evening he would curl up with Loki on his lap, who for some reason never seemed to mind his heated skin, and eat his dinner with the jotunn. His life was looking very different from how he had imagined it, he thought as he held out another piece of melon for his beast to eat from his hand. 

  “You are officially the most spoiled thing in the nine realms.” he laughed. Loki purred in a deep and contented manner as he fell asleep against Thors leg. He leaned down and touched the metal collar to inspect it once again. He should remove it and see what sort of abilities Loki has. His plan to make him into a fighter will never work if he cant access his magic, but to do so may be their undoing. If Loki is as powerful as his mother hinted, what if he turns against them? What if the magic explodes from being pent up? They could not risk finding out with another enemy lapping at their heels. 

  “You wouldn't hurt us.” Thor whispers at night as he strokes black hair away from Loki's sleeping face. He feels so sure of it at times that he wants to rip the metal band apart. But in the daylight he is not so sure. Loki is devilishly playful. He doesn't like to be left alone. He is destructive. And that is how he is when the collar is on. With power to back him up and who knows what sort of mindset, Thor could potentially be unleashing a true threat. 

   For now Loki spends his days chasing children around the castle, being pampered by everyone he came across, tearing apart unattended things he felt like destroying, and sleeping on any surface but preferably upon the cold marble. 

  It had been almost a month since the forest encounter. Every soldier was preparing for battle every day in the sweltering heat, sparring and preparing weapons and getting tents and blankets ready for travel. Odin had informed the generals that they would travel to the burial place of the ether, a secret location that only he and Heimdal had known until now due to its turbulent and dangerous nature. 

  And Thor would stay here during all of it. He didn't want to feel useless, so he poured everything he had into preparing the troops. Loki would receive the enchantment from his mother almost every day so that he could play in the shade outdoors with the younglings. Thor loved knowing that he at least wouldn't be completely alone when all the others left. 

  When the jotunn first started coming outside and saw Thor fighting he immediately jumped to his side and started hissing at the opponent. The man found it so funny that he dropped his sword and had to kneel on the ground from laughing so hard. The other men around the field chuckled and jokingly hollered for Thor to call off his vicious attack beast’. Thor had to leave the field to calm Loki down and get him to stay with one of his friends. 

  He did a few practice rounds with Volstagg holding the runt against his lap, looking over to assure him that he was ok and it was all just a sport. Eventually Loki caught on and was able to watch without trying to defend him. A few days later and Loki was completely over it, looking for something to keep himself entertained. He found that he liked chasing and being chased by the children of warriors who came to see their fathers practice. He was limited to the shade of trees and the open air hallways of the nearby castle but the children often tired easily, so distance wasn't an issue. When the little ones had had enough running they would lay side by side under a great oak to nap. The men at first didn't know what to make of him, but soon got used to seeing him dash between their legs or hide behind them or pounce playfully at their children. He became a constant fixture. 

   On days that were too sunny, Loki would stay inside to be with Frigga and her sewing group. Surprisingly, Thor was questioned by everyone who passed by where his little shadow was. 

  The pattern was broken when Heimdall reported that the ether had been uncovered and had a host; some midgardian female who had fallen into a rip in reality that led her to the site. Thor had to stand and watch as his citizens left to fight the menace without him. Loki pressed against his side comfortingly. 

   Once the bifrost was closed, the open fields felt so quiet and empty. The day was slightly cloudy and calm and gave no indication that there was a war happening off planet somewhere far away. Thor turned back to the training yard to let off some steam, his faithful pet following close behind. 

  He hadn't made it halfway before the sound of thunder pierced the sky. Thor turned around to see a jagged, rippling black crack in the distance open slowly. 

  Loki backed away and growled, flattening himself against the ground. Thor couldn't take his eyes off of the anomaly. 

  A palace guard came running to his side. “Sire! The All-Father commands that you come back to the castle immediately!” 

 “What?” he blinked and broke away from his daze. The man seemed scared. 

   “Please, Queen Frigga is going to lower the protective barrier.” 

  Thor stumbled into action and took off towards the castle with his jotunn running after him. The guard lifted the horn he kept at his hip to his lips and let out a resounding blare, followed by the guards at each watchtower. Once all five horns sounded, a glittering golden curtain fell in a dome around the castle. 

  Off in the distance, hundreds of men came pouring out of the split in the field, angry and animalistic. After all of the Asgardian soldiers filled the hills, elves of a different complexion than Thor had ever seen followed after. Leading them was a powerful looking man who lifted one hand and sent a ball of energy at the protective dome. Thor felt relieved when it held, but quickly paled when the second ball was followed by a crackling sound. Thor needed to find a way to fight this mage and quickly. 


	12. Face off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malekith shows himself and Thor tries to cope

  Frigga and a team of mage women began quickly chanting and putting up as many protection spells that they could. 

  “Mother, what do we do? What did you see in your visions?” Thor asked and held his breath as another crack appeared. 

  The queen winced as a protection spell was shattered. “Those tears have created multiple possibilities and the few I have seen continue to shift in and out of my vision.” she looked distressed. “At no point did I see the mortal woman falling into their grasp. The ether has been activated faster than any reality I forsaw.” 

  Thor was distressed at this information. The leisure he felt when his mother assured him that he would like the end results of this battle was completely gone. Now there was no telling how this would end. 

  “I have to release Loki.” Thor said. Frigga attempted to say something over the noises around them, but suddenly everything became chaos when the golden dome splintered completely. The women were ushered further into the castle with Thor standing ready to defend their retreat. He had no idea how to win this if all his best men were against him, acting as the first in line to fight. 

  Loki snarled and bit at one of the warriors who came near, sending him to the ground. Thor broke out of his despair and came to the realization that he would have to incapacitate them long enough to find the source of their aggression. But he and Loki would need to combat so many friends to get to the elves. 

  He started by dealing blows to their legs but, after a few ankles cracked and the next wave discovered his plan he had to switch it up to knocking them in the head. Not hard enough to kill, but not light enough to allow them to get back up again. 

  His beast stayed by his side through it all and attacked any who tried to stab Thor from behind. He yelped when a man grabbed him by the collar and hurled him in Thors direction. 

  “Hold!” A particularly grotesque elf stepped through the parting crowd of frothing Asgardians, waving them back. The silence that followed made his ears ring. Thor took a minute to catch his breath before giving a battle cry and rushing towards him. With the snap of his fingers four men stood in his way and wrapped their arms around him, holding him back. 

  Loki growled and crept forward. The elf laughed. 

 “What a pitiful beast you are. Chained to this boy and kept from your potential. I wonder what you could do with a real master.” he taunted and gripped him by the collar. He whispered something in a dead language too quiet for Thor to hear, but he saw the purple energy that came from his hands and clung to Loki's skin like oil. The jotunn whimpered and pushed away from him, but the elf was too strong and Loki was visibly exhausted. "Now you shall use your magic for none but me."

 Once the enchantment had burrowed into the blue skin he used both hands to grip the collar and pull. Thor gave a startled cry when, in a blinding light, the metal tore in two.

  Once Thor could see again, he watched as Loki came up to a crouch, panting wildly but slowly collecting himself. Then, beyond all belief, Loki began to rumble a laugh. A real, manic laugh that grew in volume until he was fully standing, squaring his shoulders and facing the dark elf like a man. 

 "You poor fool. You will soon see that I bend to no master." Loki flexed his fingers before calling forth ice to his hands. The elf gulped in surprise.  


	13. Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be aware that I have added 2 chapters. Go read the one before this if you haven't!

The face off was rather anticlimactic, given how much of a threat Malekith had been for Thor. Apparently he was nothing for the likes of Loki. 

  “Loptr.” The jotunn had corrected him. “Though that is the name of the creature I was before.”

   “And what are you now?” Thor asked. They stood on the steps of the palace as the healers checked over the fallen men on the battlefield in the distance. The change from an assured loss to a quick victory left Thor's head spinning. He did not know what to make of this dangerous, new being before him. 

  The jotunn paused and smiled. “I have grown accustomed to the title Loki. Perhaps I shall keep it.” he slowly rest a hand upon Thors shoulder. “After all, it was given to me by an ally.” 

 Something warm flopped in Thors stomach and traveled up to his sternum. It was similar to how he felt when Loki would cuddle into his arms. But thinking about that made Thor feel ashamed. 

  “I am grateful to hear you say that, but… I feel undeserving, for I could have released you at any time and did not. I kept you as a pet.” 

  Loki took back his hand and stared at him deeply. Thor couldn't help but think he looked regal with the setting sun against his back. “Much worse has been done to me. And by family, no less.” he looks away with a light purple blush of his own. “I heard your reasons and find them without fault. And when the time came you had intended to release me. That speaks highly of your true motivations.” 

  “My motivations?” he asks dumbly as he takes in what Loki was admitting to. He remembered. Everything. Gods there were so many things he had to repress from his memory.

  Loki looked back to him and smiled. It was not malicious, but it was playful. “You did tell anyone who would listen that I was to be some attack dog of yours, yet all you and your mother ever did was spoil me. As you yourself said, I am the most spoilt beast in all the nine realms.” and here he laughs at his own joke, but Thor flushes with further embarrassment. Loki gives him a dazzling smile. Thor takes a minute to appreciate it, for he hadn't truly imagined Loki capable of such a thing. “If I had been released from the collar when you first found me I would have destroyed this entire planet out of resentment that any should think to best me.” 

   They shared a moment in silence before Loki continued. “The rage inside cooled with each gentle touch I was given. Never had anyone treated me like I was worth something. Over time I grew to love you, big great oaf that you are. Now I feel… warm inside. Like all of the hardness of my heart has melted.” 

  A lightheadedness overtook him and suddenly he pulled Loki close and hugged him tightly. “Loki, I am truly sorry for what was done to you. No matter how kindly I treated you you were still held here against your will.” It took him a moment to realize his legs were shaking. Most likely from exhaustion now that his adrenaline was running thin. “I loved every moment with you and, if you would grant it, I would like to show you my realm as a man of equal standing.”

 Loki leaned back from his grip, only to rub his head against Thors stubbled chin.  “I would like that very much.”

 

There WILL be more in the future. Cute one shot adventures, meeting the avengers, etc. 


	14. Odin is a dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Loki after the battle

  Thor and Loki stood before the All-Father in their torn and bloodied clothes, having had no time to change before being summoned. Odin kept his eye mainly on Loki, assessing and calculating. 

  Loki rubbed his shoulder against Thors which made his heart stutter a beat. He ducked his head and hid his blush with a cough. 

“My son. You and your Jotunn have successfully defeated Malekith, the once thought dead leader of the dark elves.” he said loudly to allow the small congregation of undamaged citizens to hear. “You have shown yourself to not only be steadfast in battle, but to know when it is best to hold back for the safety of your people. You have made Asgard proud.” 

  Odin held out his hand as an object materialized from light in front of him. It was a hammer, mjolnir, and Thor could not hide his shock. Odin came down the few stairs from his throne to where he stood and held out the weapon for him to take. 

  Thor reverently lifted it from his hand and hefted it to and fro to test its weight. “It feels perfect, father. Thank you.” in truth, it felt as light as a feather. He knew from legend, though, that it would be heavier than the world tree itself if it found him unworthy. “I shall strive to be what Asgard needs.” 

   Odin gave him a proud smile, which made Thor feel rejuvenated, as if the battle had not happened at all. “You will make a great king. And tomorrow-” he struck gungnir on the marble. “We shall hold a feast to honor his victory and naming as crowned prince!”

  The crowd roared with approval, but Thor did not look to them. In the past he would have immediately soaked it all in, but now he found he couldn't be bothered. Instead he looked to Loki at his left and smiled. “Father, I wish to include Loki in the feast. He was the one who defeated our foe.” 

 “Ah yes, your ‘attack dog’.” he said, close to a sneer. “He may be present, but be sure to keep him under control.” 

 Thor visibly startled at the hostility. “Control? Did you not see what he is capable of?” could his father not see that Loki was no longer animal minded and was instead a regal and well articulated mage?

 Odin turned his gaze to the jotunn in question. “I have indeed seen what he is capable of. And that is what I refer to.” He looked back to Thor and smiled. “But you are a man now. I trust you can handle him.” then he turned away and went back to his throne, dismissing all from the room. Loki turned to leave and Thor followed soon after. 

   Loki led them to the gardens, which had been untouched by the fight. He cast a cooling spell upon himself and wandered slowly through the flowered paths while Thor ranted his frustrations. 

 “He named me crowned prince, then sullied the title by slandering your name right beside it.” he groused. Loki noted that he continued to flex his hands upon the handle of his new hammer as if he had held it for years. He smiled despite the situation. 

  “The hammer suits you.” he said and picked a lovely pink flower from a nearby bush to stick behind Thor's ear. “I care not what he thinks of me. I am too happy with my freedom to allow him to dull my mood. And you should do the same, crown prince Thor.” 

 He huffs in agitation, but concedes that he likes the sound of the title. They continue their walk for a while until they circle back to the castle. Thor relaxes in the presence of his new companion, so different from how he had been only this morning. 

  “What was it like, being under the control of the collar?” 

  Loki hummed and did not get offended by the question. “It was awful before I met you. A few hundred years ago, the king of jotunnheim became scared of what I would be capable of. I was always proficient in magic. Something not many jotunn could do aside from ice manipulation.” they sat side by side on a marble bench. “He had a collar made to restrict me in secret. The dwarves crafted it and were the ones to slip into my room at night and restrain me.” Loki touched his neck where the metal used to rest with a sad smile. “It was painful and woke me immediately. I lashed out and tried to run, but my brothers captured me quickly and hid me in a secret chamber for their own amusement.” 

  Thor waited with bated breath as Loki twisted his hands together and tried to gather himself. “I stayed there for hundreds of years, being beaten and starved and taunted, all while I slowly lost all grip of myself. I became more animalistic, more temperamental, which they found very amusing. Eventually I could not remember who I was, only that I was a beast that hated his captors.” 

  They shared a moment of silence while Thor gripped his cold hand in his own. “I am sorry for what has been done to you, Loki. I'm sorry for the part I played in keeping you a beast.” 

  “YOU are the reason I came out of it.” Loki said with a smile. “Your mother was correct when she said I still had healing to do. The longer I spent in your company, no longer blinded by rage, I started to get more control of myself. I still could not speak or do magic, but I became more at ease with myself. I do not hate you for anything you did.” 

  Thor was extremely relieved to hear him say that. He exhaled a breath he had been holding in and pulled Loki into a hug that had him practically atop his lap. Loki laughed and hugged him back, then leapt up from the bench. “Come, future king. Let us get cleaned up and see to your injured men. They should hear the good news of your upcoming ceremony to lift their spirits.” 

  Thor stood and gripped the smaller mans arm. “Loki… I would like for you to be there. As an equal, no matter what my father says.” 

  Loki grinned. “He could not keep me from it!”


	15. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will life hold for Loki and Thor?

  Fandral looked up with his good eye when the two entered the healing rooms. “Ah, there's our little Loki.” he said with a goofy smile. “Sorry we had to fight again.”   
  “Forgive him.” Sif laughed. “he received a hit on the head and is very confused. Eir has him on many medicines.” Hogun and Volstagg sat on the bed next to their friend, keeping a careful eye on the jotunn just as the man kept a careful eye on the group.   
  Loki smiled uneasily as he approached the man. “I am not little anymore, friend.” he said, standing over him and placing his hand over the warriors. Fandral used the opportunity to pull the jotunn closer, practically on top of him.   
  “You are so _little!_ ” he said a little too loudly. Loki winced and wriggled his way from the mans hold.   
  Thor laughed loudly. “Fandral, I do hope you remember this when you are off the medicines.” he patted Loki’s back and gently guided him back to his side where he would be safe from reaching hands. “We came to see how you were doing. It would seem that you will be fine for my coronation.”   
  Everyone perked at the word and began happily drowning their prince in questions. Loki watched passively, happy that their wary glances were off him once again. He would have to get used to everyone treating him oddly now that he was a potential enemy instead of the cute pet that followed at Thor's heels.   
  Thor answered their questions, showing them the hammer he had received as a promise of his title, showing that his father saw him as a man. When the newness started to settle and the questions died down. Thor began absentmindedly scratching Loki's back and playing with his hair. Loki, equally absentmindedly, pressed against his side and purred in a low and almost inaudible decibel.   
  Sif grinned over at him. “I was worried when the collar was removed. Worried that you would change.” she crossed her arms. “But you have not changed so much. You still melt when someone gives you pets.”   
  Loki blushed and moved away from Thor. “Much has changed.” He said. The ‘unfortunately’ was left unsaid as he thought about how much he would dearly love to move back to his friends side and accept the affection he had been receiving.   
  This would take some getting used to.  



	16. Namesake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki feels ignored while Thor prepares for his coronation.

 

 The servants moved around the castle like bees in a hive, constantly in motion and narrowly avoiding each other over stacks of plates and flowers. Loki watched from a support beam in the ceremonial room in the form of a small black bird. His eyes still glowed red, but he was high enough that he was not noticed. 

 He had tried bothering Thor, but the maids and tailors shooed him out when they grew tired of him being underfoot. Soon after he tried to follow some of the cooks to see what mischief could keep him busy, but was chased away by Bertha, the head cook with a terrifying wooden spoon that she had no problem wielding. 

  So he found himself up here out of everyone's way. He had already changed the colors of the flowers from red and yellow to blue, as well as making small whirlwinds that caused the cutlery to dance around the tables and get out of order. He did not feel like doing anything else, for he did not want to truly ruin Thor's coronation. He was just tired of being ignored again. 

  A noise in the hallway caught his attention. He fluttered from his hiding spot to the doors where he could hear more clearly. It was Thor, calling his name for some reason. 

  Loki swooped out to greet him and circled him once before settling on his shoulder. Thor looked startled, then stared into his red eyes and understood. “There is my Loki. I did not know you could turn into animals. Such a clever thing you are.” he said softly as he stroked the glossy feathers. “I was looking all over for you. It is time to prepare for the coronation.” 

  Loki remained on his shoulder until they reached his room where he gracefully jumped down and transformed into his jotunn form to land on his feet. When he took a look at the rooms they once shared, he saw that there were many things out of order. 

   A tailor came to his side and cautiously held up a few fabrics, all in differing shades of gold. “What pleases you, my prince?” 

  Thor reclined in a lounging chair and waved him off. “Whatever Loki decides.” 

  He did not appreciate being spoken over and, in retaliation, turned all the fabrics green. The tailor jumped with a squeak and scrambled to release the cursed cloth as if it had bit him. He felt a bit better at the reaction. 

  Thor tutted behind him. “This color will clash with the present I have for you.” Loki gave him a quizzical look, but the man offered him no answer. The jotunn rolled his eyes and waved his hand to change them back to their original color, much to the tailors relief. 

  Loki stood still as he was measured and prodded and draped in gold, shiny fabrics. Eventually the tailor sewed a long skirt with a single shoulder sash, leaving part of his chest bare. It did not reflect the style of Asgard, but rather the simplistic tunics of his own people. It felt odd, for he had no love for his home, but having it felt comforting nonetheless. 

  After hours of this treatment they were finally done. Loki was ready for it to be over, but Thor led him to a full length mirror with a circle of boxes in front of it. He motioned for Loki to sit on a cushion as he took up a spot behind him and opened one of the boxes. 

  Inside was a thin and delicate looking circlet piece of pure gold. Thor placed it upon the jotunn’s head with a smile. “I had many jewels collected for you a few months ago. In many different colors. But I think my favorite on you has been green.” he began brushing Loki's hair and plaiting it in careful, small braids. “I was afraid that you would damage them when you were animal minded. But now I can give them all to you.” they made eye contact through the mirror and both their hearts jumped. Loki flushed and looked away in embarrassment for having been so pouty earlier. 

   Thor spent the next hour carefully braiding jewels into his hair, humming to himself. Loki admired every bracelet and necklace until deciding on the perfect golden accessories to wear. Once it was finished he had Thor help him up to admire his long hair, now made into an intricate pattern with beautiful glittering gems. Loki smiled brightly and planted a kiss to Thor's cheek. "Thank you, friend. They are beautiful." 

   Thor grinned broadly and offered an arm to him. "I will have to get used to you being so different, but I am glad for it." Together they walked out into the hallway where a procession of guards waited. "Come, let us celebrate together." 

  Loki smiled brightly. Nothing could dim the hope within him that his future would be grand here, next to Thor. 


	17. The coronation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all is hunky dory

 The two stood in front of the doorway to the celebration hall. Thor in his best armor and helm, mjolnir at his side and thrumming with energy, looking the picture of royalty. Loki wondered if Thor could feel the waves coming from his new weapon the way he could. Doubtful, given how inept he had been at sensing magic thus far.

   Before they entered Loki untwined himself from Thor's arm to take a step away. “Good luck, princeling.” he said with a smirk. Before he could take more than a step away Thor grabbed his arm and brought him back to his side. 

 “Stay.” he said, almost begging. Loki tsked at the worry lines on his forehead and leaned into him once again. 

  “I am no longer your pet.” Loki said stubbornly. 

  Thor huffed and felt the strong urge to bump his shoulder playfully. “Believe me. I know.” the fondness in his heart burned so brightly he worried Loki might feel it. “I will miss my little shadow. But I am very happy to have you here, no matter what form.” 

   Loki suddenly felt a chill of constriction by Thor's affections and what it could mean for his future. He did not want to be trapped here on Asgard forever, just because the prince favored him and wanted to have his jotunn prize. It was silly, he knew. Thor had been gracious, continued to be nothing but kind. He wanted to get to know the real Loki and not keep him as a dumb animal to entertain him. Thor was not like his brothers. 

  The doors opened to loud applause and the blinding reflection of thousands of golden Asgardian people crowded close together. The middle aisle being the only place where they did not dare step. Thor held up his hammer in victory, smiling when his citizens roared in approval. Even the men he had injured in battle were chanting his name, trying to be heard over the others. Loki admired the dedication the prince inspired.

  Odin and Frigga stood upon the dias at the far end of the room. Odin was stone faced when he looked to the runt, but cracked a smile at his son. Frigga was practically glowing with pride for them both. When Thor had led them to the steps of the stage the queen ushered Loki to her side. She did not seem phased by his new ability to stand on two feet or walk like royalty which Loki took to mean that she had known of this from her visions. He came to stand by her right side, furthest away from Odin and Thor. 

  The hall quieted down. Once everyone had settled Odin held out the hand not holding gungnir, performing a simple voice amplifying spell to address the room. “People of Asgard. We are here to witness the birthright of my son, prince Thor.” more cheers, before being silent again. “He has made us proud through the years with his warrior abilities and fearlessness in battle. But now I have seen how he chooses mercy in times of need. How he faced the enemy alone and did not lose hope.” before Thor could interrupt him he called a servant to bring forth the crown. “Prince Thor, as of this day, you will be the rightful heir to the throne of Asgard. It will be your duty to always hold the needs of your people above your own.” 

  Thor knelt and raised a fist to his heart. “I swear, All-Father, to be what my people need.” 

  Odin smiled down at him. “Do you swear to continue to -”

  There was a scream near the doors before two guards burst in. One holding his arm that was blackened and tipped with ice. “Your majesty! Frost giants! In the vault!” 

  Everyone began talking at once, unsure what to do. Odin beat gungnir down twice to call for silence. “Guards! Arrest the runt and have him taken to the dungeons!” Loki stood in place, confused and angry. 

  “I am no traitor, King Spear-lover.” he said as he allowed the guards to take his arms. “Nor am I your citizen to control.” 

  Odin came to stand before him with a sneer. “I do not have time for you, little rejected prince. Take him away.” He then made his way to the double doors to face the jotunn at the vaults. Thor quickly followed behind him. 

  “Father! Loki could not have done this!” he said angrily. “Have him released immediately!” 

   “If he is found innocent, then we shall release him. But for now I need to protect our people from the immediate threat.” It was said in a way that left no room for argument, lest Thor prove his lack of loyalty to the people he had sworn himself to moments before. He pushed it to the back of his mind to focus on the fight ahead. Loki would be fine and would be freed soon. 


	18. Intruders

There were 3 jotunns still alive when the king and prince arrived. The destroyer had blasted the others into oblivion when they crossed the threshold of the vault, but the rest had been detained and seemed cautious of trying to follow their brethren. 

 “How did you get here, beasts?” Thor demanded. Odin halted him with a hand on his shoulder. 

  One of the giants sneered and stood to his full height. When it looked as though he would raise his weapon against them, a guard swiftly plunged his sword through his hand. He howled and fell to the ground, clutching the wound. 

  Odin eyed the other two. “You fell through one of the portals, I take it. The question now is how you stayed hidden for all this time.” 

  “Sire, it seems that they landed in one of the guest rooms near the royal wing. We found the room torn apart and covered in ice.” a guard explained without taking his eyes off the enemy. 

  Thor growled, angry at himself for not knowing that the enemy was only a few doors away. “What were you after?” he demanded. “How many did you plan to kill?” 

   “We did not come here to kill, princess. We did not plan to be here a-” 

 “Silence, _filth_!” Thunder rumbled in the distance and everyone fell quiet. Suddenly there was a flash of green light and Loki appeared between Thor and the jotunn. 

  He had traded his golden robe for a simple black loincloth and golden belt. The gems from his hair were gone, tucked away somewhere safe. He looked unhappily at the giants kneeling and said “State your names.” 

  They looked incredibly confused at his presence, as was everyone else, but recognized that he was one of their own. “Bafti” one answered quickly. The other two hesitated before saying “Magnr” and “Bjork”. 

  Though his knowledge was limited from his captivity, the names vaguely came to mind. “I know of you. You were keepers of the temple.” Loki turned to Thor. “Release them. They would not do this of their own choosing. Most likely they were looking for a way home.” 

  Thor looked ready to burst, no matter that it was his precious jewel telling him what to do. “I _shall not_! They have trespassed and sought our weapons!” 

  “Thor.” Odin hit gungnir against the marble. “Enough. Though it comes from the mouth of a viper, his words hold truth. These three came here against their will. They are important in the culture of their people and to smite them would be seen as an act of aggression. We must see them to the bifrost to return home.” 

   The princes breathing became hard, his face becoming pink with the restraint of his rage. “They are the enemy. What does it matter to kill them now or later on the field?” 

  “They are not fighters, Thor. They guard the temples of the ancestors.” Loki approached him with a hand outstretched, giving him time to move away as he brought it to his cheek. “Please. Do not be upset with them. A good king shows mercy.” 

  Thor took a deep breath. Then two. Finally he tersely nodded his head and lowered his hammer. Odin eyed the two unhappily before ordering the guards to return them to the room they had been hiding in. They would have to wait until sundown to bring them to the bifrost. 

  Loki smirked at the prince once the others were led away. “Did you know that you change colors when you are angry?” he laughed. “It is cute.” 

  Thor tried to give him a stern and serious glare, but couldn't hold it. “I am not cute.” he joined in his friends laughter and clipped mjolnir onto his belt. “How did you escape?”

  “Thor” he said as if speaking to an idiot. “I have magic. Did you think that a few guards with pointy sticks could stop me from doing what I want?” 

  The two laughed again and made their way back to the ceremony, arm in arm.


	19. Secrets

 Most everyone had left after the scare, but Thor's friends and mother had gathered at the base of the stairs to talk. When they spotted Thor with Loki on his arm they smiled. Fandral let out a whistle and received a snack on his arm from Sif.

  “The jotunns have been dealt with and are to be taken to the bifrost once the sun goes down.” he explained with a bit of a frown. Loki elbowed his side. 

  “They fell through an open portal when the dark elf made his appearance. The portal happened to open in the castle, so they hid until an opportunity arose.” Loki explained  Frigga nodded in understanding. 

 “I am sorry to say that there are still so many possibilities for the future that I am unable to see clearly.” she put a hand upon the jotunn’s shoulder and said “The portals have created much havoc across the nine. No realm has been spared some disruption.” 

  When the group fell silent, Volstagg blurted “We are glad to have a good jotunn on our side.” 

  Loki became still and quiet with a peculiar, unreadable expression. The warriors stiffened in anticipation of his negative reaction, but were surprised when he threw his head back and laughed. 

  “ _Good_?” he asked as his chuckles quieted. “I have been told many times that I am a spoilt, awful beast.” Loki winked over his shoulder at Thor and received a bright blush in return.

  Fandral scoffed loudly. “I heard that you caused the maids to nearly pull their hair out in frustration this morning. Dancing spoons and color changing flowers.” he wiggled his fingers in the air, which surprised a laugh out of Sif. 

  Thankfully, the conversation became much more relaxed as they discussed how to resume the ceremony that had been interrupted, which Thor was more than happy to get started as soon as possible. Loki smiled along, thinking about the jotunn temple workers and what Odin truly wanted to do with them. 

\------------

Long after the excitement was settled, Loki slipped into Thor's bedroom and curled into the man's side on the bed. Thor looked up from the scroll he was reading and smiled fondly at him. “Where have you been?” 

 Loki hummed and rubbed his face against his leg. “Keep your voice low, for there are listening ears everywhere.” he said in a low voice. “Keep your breathing calm and act as though nothing is happening.”  

 He didn't understand what Loki was getting at, but followed his instructions while flitting his eyes around the room as if he would see these ‘ears’. They stayed like this for awhile as Thors hand drifted down to play with his hair. Loki snuggled against him more and tilted his head closer. 

 “The jotunns are not in their room.” Loki said calmly. Thor's hand stopped abruptly, then stood and shouted “WHAT?!” Loki fell against the bed and sat up enough to send him a glare. “What part of act natural did your tiny mind not understand?” 

  “We must find them!” Thor stomped to his couch where he had flung his cape. Loki followed quickly behind and grabbed his wrist. 

 “Listen to me.” the jotunn said through gritted teeth. “I know where they are, but you must act calmly or we may not get the chance to talk to them.” 

  Thor rounded on him and eyed him, but quickly calmed and blew out a breath. “Where are they, then?” 

 Loki took a moment to appreciate the control he had on Thor’s emotions, however unintentional. Who would have guessed that the runt of Laufey would be granted such proximity to the prince, let alone this intimate friendship they had developed. “They are in the dungeons. Odin has foolishly imprisoned them to interrogate them, though who knows what answers he hopes to get from them.” he rolls his eyes. “I want you to see the corruption of Odin upon my people. And I want you to see that not all Jotunns are made for war.” He wraps an arm around Thors bicep. “AND I would like to get some answers as well.” 

  About what, Thor does not yet know. But he is willing to check the dungeons, despite the jab at his father. It was suspicious that the Jotunn were not in any rooms, since the sun was still high in the sky. It was worth looking, if only to make Loki happy. 


	20. Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The general consensus is that Odin is a dick!

  Thor and Loki made their way to the dungeons as quickly as they could without looking suspicious. Loki had performed a simple concealment spell to keep the guards from noticing, though Thor felt it was unnecessary with him being a prince. 

  A cell near the entrance was the only one lit from the inside, magic crystals lining the ceiling and making the large blue occupants visible. Loki came close to the glass, letting his hand hover near the surface, but not touching. A small spark appeared and reached out for his hand, but he pulled back before it could shock him. He grunted in distaste. 

  The jotunns looked to him curiously but said nothing. He could feel Thor glaring at them fiercely behind him, but thankfully stayed quiet. 

 “Do you know who I am?” Loki asked. For a moment he feared they couldn't hear him through the cell walls until one of them shook their head. “I am Loptr, son of king Laufey. Have you heard of me?” 

 “King Laufey does not have a son named Loptr.” one said accusingly, but another held his hand up and said “He did, but the runt died. The king announced it the day after the birth. Both mother and son were lost.” 

  Loki nodded in understanding. “Know that he is not dead, for he stands before you now.” he then took a step back to be closer to his companion. “Laufey and his sons kept me hidden in chains for centuries until prince Thor freed me. When you are returned to your people, tell them of the lies that Laufey has been feeding you. Tell them of his cruelty.” 

   The third who had not spoken yet chuffed loudly and, in a shaky voice, said “we will not be returning, little fool. We are to be prisoners until we die!” 

  Thor shushed the loud giant and quickly looked back to the entrance, though the hall was too dark to see much of anything. “Quiet!” he demanded in a harsh whisper. 

  Loki held open a hand and conjured a key. “We are here to free you and transport you to the bifrost.” 

 Everyone exclaimed in surprise at the same time. Thor grabbed his shoulder to spin him around and demand what he thought he was doing. “They are enemies! If Odin has commanded them to be in the dungeon, that is where they will stay!” 

  Loki grinned so deeply it looked painful. “but Thor. Did you not hear him with your own ears? His proclamation was that they were to be freed and taken back to jotunheim. We are merely doing what he commanded.” he then said more quietly, searching his eyes. “or are we to leave them here, against the agreements of the treaties no doubt in place between the jotunns and Asgard?” 

  Thor startled at how much his little friend seemed to know after being uncollared for only a few days. He had surely been busy reading in his free time to be so knowledgeable. More knowledgeable than him, it seemed, for he was not sure what agreements he spoke of. Thor looked down to his feet, unable to look him in the eye. “Father would not… but they are _beasts_.” 

  Loki stood to his full height and gripped Thor's chin, forcing him to look up. “I too am jotunn. Would it be right to lock me away with no reason? Am I a beast?” 

   They stared at each other for a long moment, Thor searching for the right thing to say that fit into his worldview and the new truths that Loki presented him with when suddenly a hand came out of the dark. Loki shouted as he was pulled away from Thor and manhandled to the ground. Before either could think straight a thick, golden collar was forced shut around his throat. 

  Loki screamed and arched his back painfully, a light enveloping the metal as the sigils glowed and settled. Loki lay panting on his side and fluctuating between growling and whimpering against the hands holding him. His magic jumped in his veins but hit an all too familiar barrier. 

  Thor beat the two guards away with his hammer, then found himself falling to the ground beside his friend, suddenly weak and unable to hold mjolnir aloft. He looked over his shoulder at his father who stepped from the shadows, gungnir pointed towards him and crackling with energy. 

 “I had hoped this runt would not corrupt you.” he said flippantly and had the injured guards ushered away and replaced. “But here you are, plotting against the crown, my decrees, helping our enemies who only moments ago were ready to run off with the most powerful artifact the jotunn can possess.” he sighed and motioned for Thor to be brought to his feet. “Thor of Asgard. You are hereby banished until you have learned from this egregious mistake. Until I can trust you with the responsibility of the safety of your people, you will not step foot on Asgard nor hold Mjolnir, for you will be mortal.” Gungnir hit the floor twice to mark his decree. Thor watched helplessly as Loki was dragged into the cell with the other giants before he too was frog marched away to the bifrost. 


	21. New life trials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What our two boys are up to

  Loki spent hours fluctuating between scratching at the collar to no avail, pacing the confines of his new prison (on two legs while he still could), and growling to himself in a pitiful attempt at speaking. 

  The collar was an exact replica of the first, down to every rune mark, all except for a small semicircle protruding from the front. And instead of rough and dull silver, this was a smooth and brilliant gold. Odin had most likely made it as soon as possible with the intention of swapping them out, refusing to have such an ugly accessory on a pet of the royal household. Loki finally settled on curling in the corner and whimpering sadly. His mind was still in tact enough to know that it was only a matter of time before he lost himself and would walk on all fours, returning to the hated animal mind that he had been so sure he had escaped.

  The other three occupants watched silently, unsure of what to do with the tiny beast that they now knew was their rightful prince. Once Loki stopped moving around Bjork leaned down and stuck out his hand to the runt. “It's alright, little one.” he muttered in a soothing tone. “Come here. Perhaps we can find a way to break it.” 

  Loki shook his head and closed his eyes. He didn't want their false hope. He wanted Thor. He wanted to be himself again. It was so much worse to have a scant few days of freedom, only to be locked away again. He knew what to expect this time and dreaded each ticking hour, coming closer to being the dim witted animal that Odin wanted him to be. 

  “Pet.” the four jotunn looked up at the call. Odin stood just at the border of the light from the cell, holding a long strip of leather with a clip at the end. He smirked devilishly at the little runt. Loki reached up to the circle on the collar and shuddered, realizing what it was for now and dreading what Odin had planned.

\------------------

   Thor landed abruptly and coughed up dirt. Once he had regained his breath, he sat up and looked at the landscape, which was bare and dry and hot and gave no indication of where he was. Great. 

   He dusted off his breast plate and cape as he decided what to do with himself. He needed to return to Asgard as soon as possible, for Loki was in danger and he did not know what danger he would face here on this unknown planet. 

 He would get nowhere standing here in the sun. Thor began walking in the direction away from the sun, hoping to keep it at his back as long as possible. Quickly, more quickly than he felt he would have if he were not mortal, he grew thirsty. His feet ached. His head hurt. He wanted to lay down and anguish. 

  Up in the distance he heard a noise unlike any he had heard before, but it was too wavy from the heat to see properly. For a while he just stared at it, thinking it was staying in place since it did not seem to get closer except now he could see that it was getting closer, but he still had no idea what it was and boy his head hurt. What was Loki doing right now? Would he have been able to stand this awful heat? Was this what Asgard felt like to him? He would order an ice bath, first thing when he got home. Why wasn't he home? Where _was_ Loki? 

  That was the last thought he had before being hit by a large metal beast and falling to the ground, unconscious.

 


	22. Chapter 22

Loki pulled against the leash until his throat hurt, dug his hands and feet against the floor, snapped at any fingers that came near him. And still, Odin did not quit. He ordered the guards to lead the jotunn in large circles and have him whipped when he tried to bite. After hours of this treatment, overseen off and on by the king, Loki lay panting on the ground trembling and defeated. 

   The guards looked between the pitiful jotunn on the ground to the three still in the cell who were screaming for Odin to cease this torment, then to the king who ordered them to continue. They did as ordered and tugged the leash until Loki was forced to either get up or choke. Once again he got on all fours and followed, keeping his head down and huffing with exertion. 

 The guards rotated their station, continuing this treatment into the night until Odin returned at daybreak. He questioned the head guard on how the prisoner was progressing, seemingly satisfied with what he saw. Loki was delirious with exhaustion and pain, evident by how his limbs shook to keep him up. When Odin motioned for them to stop Loki collapsed immediately and let out a long, low whine. A few guards shared a look amongst each other, obviously uncomfortable with how the boy was being treated after saving them in battle only a few days ago. But the king had commanded it, so they must obey. 

  Odin took his time making his way to the runt, then crouching down to its level. He grabbed its chin roughly and asked “Are you ready to obey me?” 

 Loki glared at him as best he could before giving a weak snarl and tossing his head out of the hold. Odin laughed and patted his cheek before standing.

“Start again.” he said to the head guard, then walked to the exit to begin his day in court. Loki was once again dragged to his feet and made to crawl with the other jotunn watching helplessly from their cell. 

\---------

  Thor woke in much pain to a young woman fretting over him. She had appealing features and light brown hair and seemed to be going on and on about something, but Thor couldn't understand her past the ringing in his ears. 

  “-ease don't be dead. Can you hear me? Oh god, what were you even _doing_ out there? Not that I'm blaming you or anything!” 

  Thor wanted to sit up and assure her that he was fine until he moved and realized that everything was not fine. He groaned at the soreness in his back, as well as the sharp pain that flared on his right side, most likely where that beast had attacked him. 

  “where am I?” he asked. The girl stopped her yammering.

   “Huh? Oh, you're in our camper. We, uh, we’re headed to the nearest town to drop you off at the hospital.” 

  “No. I mean-” Thor tried once again to sit up, succeeding this time, and said “what realm is this?” 

  She looked to him as if he had grown a second head, then called out to someone off in the distance. The world lurched to a stop, almost causing Thor to fall from the tiny bed he was sat upon and aggravating his head further. An older man with glasses came to join them, as well as another young brunette with glasses. They began talking hurriedly to each other and ignoring their guest completely. 

  Thor clenched his fists and shouted “It is not a hard question! Now answer me!” everyone stopped to stare at him with wide eyes. Still, they did not answer. “Do you know whom you ignore? I am prince Thor of Asgard, now tell me what realm this is.” 

  The man adjusted his glasses and answered “this is, uh, I mean I assume this is what you mean when you say ‘realm’, but we are on the planet Earth.” 

 “Earth?” he thought on this for a moment. He had heard that name before… Thor groaned and fell back against the bed. “of all the realms, why did it have to be Midgard?”


	23. Stress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything you're hoping for is coming soon. I just like putting the boys through some angst first.

  The next day, Odin asked the same question. Loki growled in place of an answer since he couldn't scream what he really thought. Odin sighed and rubbed circles against the blue cheek. 

 “It is better this way, boy. Thor does not need to be lead astray by you.” Loki hated to admit that the soft comfort reminded him of his friend and made his animal mind whine with want. “When he has become worthy, you will be a mindless pet once again, but this time he cannot release you. I have made sure of it. For now we need to get you back to your more docile state. I think maybe another few days of this ought to do the trick.” 

  It took three days of relentless circles and whippings with no breaks for food, sleep, or other body necessities for Loki to finally lose himself completely. The worst part was that he knew what to expect, could feel his awareness failing him, but could not fend it off when he was so worn down. The next time Odin came to ask the same question he did not pull away. He stared into the middle distance as if he had not heard him at all. 

  Odin smiled and pet Loki’s sweaty hair back. “Good, good. You have done very well, pet.” he crooned, feeling triumphant when the jotunn leaned into his touch. He made to leave once again. “Have him cleaned up and given a loincloth. I will return tomorrow to take him to my chambers.” 

  The guard nodded in understanding, then waited for the king to leave before doing as instructed. The jotunn runt was pliable and gave them no fight. They all made sure to handle him with care, as much as could be offered when scrubbing him by hand with nothing but freezing water. Loki did not mind and seemed happy to be able to let them move him as they pleased. Many of the guards felt guilty at how he reacted, knowing that it was by their actions that he was so miserable in the first place. 

  When they were done he was deposited in the cell where the jotunns gathered him up and gave him teary eyed reassurances. They each poured every bit of consolation they had into the young runt until he fell asleep in their arms.

   Bjork looked up at his two companions and said "We _cannot_ let that monster take him." with as much fire as he could muster. The other two nodded in agreement. They were unsure what they could do, for they were not fighters and had been underfed for days, but by the gods they would try. 

\-------------

   Thor hated healers on Asgard and had low expectations for midgardian technology, so he declined the offers to be taken to the ‘hospital’ in town. After many hours of being questioned about his home, Thor was hungry, tired, and frustrated. He wanted answers for himself; answers that the mortals here probably were not capable of giving him. 

  Thor stumbled his way out of the metal beast and was led to a small building that looked to be made from painted dirt, rocks and glass. Even the fire giants were not this primitive. The door made a bell sound when it was opened, but no one acted as though this was unusual. They did, however, gawk at him when he passed by. No doubt due to his warrior attire and princely cape. 

  Jane sat at one of the tables and everyone else followed suit. Thor was cautious, for the seats were small and didn't look sturdy enough to handle his warrior weight, but slowly sat himself down anyway. A servant came by to take their orders, but before Thor could answer that he wanted mead Jane had already ordered for him. He did not know what coffee was, but the others had ordered it as well, so it must be popular. 

    Once the server left, Thor quickly turned to the mortal woman. "Lady Jane, I am grateful for not being left in the desert, but I would very much like to have a few answers of my own." 

   She blushed and tucked a few loose strands behind her ear. "Ah, ok. Um, like what?" 

    "I need a way to return home, but do not have use of the bifrost since Heimdall would not allow it while I am human." He leaned in close, looking desperate. "Please, I must know. Do your people yet have the technology to communicate or travel to other worlds?"

    At this, Darcy leaned over to blurt "Heck yeah we do! Jane and I are almost done researching the Einstein Rosen bridge!" 

   "Darcy!" Jane admonished. "We're nowhere near close enough to put it into practice! It's just theory right now!" She looked to Thor who was eyeing her intently. She turned an even darker shade of red. 

   Thor leaned back in his chair and thought on this. He did not know what this Einstein was, but using bridges to travel worlds sounded promising. Jane and Darcy must practice some form of low level midgardian magics. It seems they had evolved quite far while no one was looking. 

  "We must begin work on the bridge immediately." He said. 

    Darcy took a sip of her coffee which had been left at the table while everyone was distracted. "After waffles." 

   Thor conceded that food certainly felt like a priority. He too lifted the mug and took a cautious drink. At first it tasted like scalding dirt water. But the after taste was pleasant enough, so he chugged the rest before smashing the porcelain against the ground. "ANOTHER!" He exclaimed happily. His three companions shared a startled and pained look.


	24. Message to the people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An update

  Hello everyone,

      I burnt my arm pretty bad, so it is hard to text with my nondominant hand. Sorry, everyone. I will post the little bit I already had done to tide you over, but it may be a couple of days before I get a full chapter up. 

  Just wanted to let you know. Sorry.

\---------

 It started as a funny feeling behind her sternum, an itch of worry when her husband had told her of Thor's banishment and Loki falling back into his madness from stress. For the past week she had been barred from seeing Loki, for he was in the dungeons until he calmed enough to be released. It didn't feel right, nor did the gleam in Odin's eye when the runt was mentioned. 

   She had held back, since he had promised that she would be able to see him soon. No one had been there in the dungeons when Loki took Thor down there, so no one but Odin could say how the events had unfolded. It seems as though Loki had become enraged and coerced the prince into the dungeons where the jotunn lay waiting to attack. According to Odin they had been thwarted and locked away. Frigga doubted this story very much. 

   Unfortunately, she was kept busy with tending to the women of the court who had injured husbands, as well as making her rounds to the medical wing to support the injured. Tonight, though, she had made time in her schedule to slip away without raising suspicion. 

   Once the sun began to set and the day servants handed off their duties to the night staff, the queen made her way to the basements to uncover the other half of the story.


	25. Freedom

 When queen Frigga made it to the dungeons she was startled at the overabundance of security. Each level down had two sets of guards, as well as a few patrolling the hallways and staircases. They did not greet her nor ask what she was doing, as if they already knew. 

  The only lit cell had the three jotunn she had heard about. They did not seem vicious; yet another lie to add to the pile. She stepped up to the glass and asked “Where is Loki?” 

  The three stirred from their dozing and untangled themselves from the floor. Loki, who had been nestled on one of their laps, came awake suddenly before climbing down from his perch to greet her. He crawled on hands and feet and, when he came closer, Frigga noticed a glimmering golden collar around his neck. 

  Her skin felt hot with anger, despite how cold the dungeons were. She had to look away for a moment to collect herself, lest she begin crying in front of them. “How long has he been down here?” 

  “We don't know.” the one with a wound on his hand answered. “It is hard to tell time down here. It has been a few days, at least.” 

 The shortest of the three added “he came down with the prince to set us free, but then Odin appeared like a ghoul from the shadows and put this enchanted collar upon him, then banished his own son to some unknown realm.” he reached a long arm across the distance to pet Loki's hair back. The tiny jotunn raised up to press as much of himself against the hand with a happy chirp. It reminded Frigga of how he had acted with the women of the sewing circle with complete trust. 

 “You have been caring for him?” she asked. The injured jotunn glared at the implication. 

  “We would not harm him!” he snarled. The queen put up a hand to stall his anger. 

 “He seems to trust you, which means that _I_ can trust you.” She was tired of not being able to hold Loki as she wanted and motioned a guard over to open the cell. 

  “We cannot do that, your majesty.” he intoned without moving from his post. He flicked his gaze in her direction and winced when he saw that fat tears were rolling down her cheeks. Frigga pressed a hand to her mouth and allowed herself to sniffle pathetically. “Oh, uhm…. I can… step out for you, my queen. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.” The man fled up the stairs into the dark, leaving the group without another word. Frigga wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned back to the jotunn. 

  “Men are so silly about emotions.” she said with a laugh. With the wave of her hand the barrier fell and allowed the jotunn to step out. “Please, I must ask. Did Odin say where he was sending my son?” 

  “Nay.” They each said as they came to stand in front of her. Loki made it to her first and pressed his whole side against her, nearly sending them both to the ground. Frigga, this time, did let herself cry real tears at the state of the poor boy. 

 “Oh, Loki.” she mourned and knelt on the ground, hugging him close. “What has been done to you?” Once she had had her moment to hold him and take in his sorry state, she stood once again and looked to the three. “We must be quick. I will send you home using a portal that will close seconds after it is created. That way no one may follow you, but you must go through it quickly.” 

   The jotunn deliberated their options, though limited, in hushed voices. Frigga could feel the seconds tick by and wondered how long the guards would wait before returning. Finally they nodded their agreement and decided to take the risk. 

  The jotunns sat quietly and held Loki to avoid him interrupting the queens concentration. She knelt in her beautiful white and golden dress against the gritty floor and didn't seem to care. She was lost in her workings, weaving reality to her whims by bringing the strings of Jotunheim closer to where her hands worked until the air before her began to shimmer with motion. Magnr gasped when he saw snow drift from the ripples. 

 “It is home!” he said happily. Bafti and Bjork shushed him harshly, but the damage was done. There was an exclamation from the staircase before the sounds of hurried footsteps and metal armor came closer. Frigga pulled her hands apart, opening a hole between the worlds. Gusting winds knocked everyone back a step but the portal stayed in place. 

 “Hurry!” Frigga shouted just as the guards came pouring from the stairwell. Each had their weapons drawn and ready. 

  The three jotunns quickly fled to the opening, avoiding the swords slashed near their heels. “Thank you, queen Frigga! We will not forget!” Bafti said before falling through after the others. The room was quiet and still once again as the fabrics of reality righted themselves, closing the door to jotunheim with a thunderous clap. If it weren't for the snow drifting across the floor it would be as if there had not been a gaping hole just a second ago. 

  Loki hissed at the guards pinning him to the wall, holding him upright by his arms and neck. Frigga came to his aid quickly,  demanding that he be released. 

   “My lady, the king demands your presence in the throne room.” the head guard said from her left. “The runt is to accompany us.” 

  The queen took a moment to get her breath back, feeling very worn and stretched after such an exertion of her magics. She swept her hands over her hair to tuck a few strands back in, but it was a mess from the wind. She nodded and followed him up the stairs to her waiting husband.

\------------------

  Thor looked from the window at the terrain passing by. The desert was long, so long that it seemed that this was all the planet was made of. He didn't remember Midgard being so barren. 

   He slept off and on. His mortal body needing the rest much more than he usually would, but perhaps it also had to do with how sad he seemed to be now. He felt so lost with his friends, his power, his home. Loki. Gods, his friend was in danger and there was nothing he could do until his father let him return. And he had no idea what it was his father wanted from him. 

   The next time he woke the skies were dark and dotted with stars. If nothing else, this planet was beautiful at night. 

    “When we make it to the next town we can get you some new clothes.” Jane said, holding a mug of hot chocolate out to him, curling in the seat across from him. She stared out the window with him for a long moment before saying “So… did you have a lover back on Asgard?” she asked quietly. When he didn't answer immediately she flushed and amended “Sorry, that's too personal. I shouldn't have-” 

  “No, I… I did not have a wife or consort.” he said, but he smiled at the thought of someone very dear to him back home. “I do have someone I care for, though.”

  Jane paused at the look in his eyes and deflated, but returned the smile. “Do you miss her?” 

  Thor blushed and took a long drink, remembering at the last minute not to smash it upon the ground when he was done. “I do. He is very special to me.” 

  Jane startled. “Oh, I'm so sorry!” she clamped her mouth shut before she could start rambling, Thor laughed loudly and put his mug down on the table.   

  “Do not be. It is, ah, not common where I am from.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don't know how to go about it. He… not only is he male, but he is of an enemy race. But I cannot deny that I have become incredibly fond of him.” now he looked out the window sadly. “To love another man is to be labeled ergi. I am the crowned prince. I cannot bring that shame to my people.” 

   Jane quelled the need to rant on that topic. The look in his eye said that arguing a long held belief of an entire people group would do no good. Instead she put a hand on top of his on the table. He looked up to lock eyes with her. “You can't control who you fall in love with. Maybe there is a way.” 

  Thor gripped her hand as well with a sad smile. He did not believe her, but he was grateful for the effort nonetheless.

 

Y'all have been so kind and understanding! Thanks so much for the well wishes! My arm is feeling much better now :)


	26. Be content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frigga schemes

 Odin held out his hand to receive the leash now attached to Loki’s collar. Loki kept himself as far away as he could, making a noise in the back of his throat that clearly said he was displeased. It was a losing battle and soon enough the king had him at his side. Frigga glared. 

  “You did not say anything about the collar. And where have you sent my son?” 

 It took Odin a moment to sit on his throne and, when he did, he let out a large breath. He looked worn and old, but Frigga refused to have sympathy. “He is safe. Heimdall is keeping an eye on him at all times.” He tugged the leash until Loki was forced to come nearer so he could reach out and pet his hair. “The collar is to keep this snake from harming this family any more than he has.” 

  “He has not harmed us.” 

“He has bewitched you all!” Odin shouted and gripped the black hair in his hand, causing Loki to yelp. Odin released him and smoothed the hair back down. “Tell me how a jotunn, gifted in magics and deception, could weasel his way into the royal household so quickly. He is a threat. Well-” he smirked and lifted Loki's chin roughly to look into his vacant eyes. “ _ was _ a threat.” 

 Frigga's hands shook at her side. “How dare you. He has been through so much and you would have him go through it again? Thor has learned how to care for another because of him; something that you in all your infinite wisdom overlooked.” 

  The king scoffed. “Then he shall learn it again.” He threw the leash in her direction. “Do with it as you please, but the collar will remain. It is your pet to care for now.” Frigga moved up the steps to retrieve the leash, bowed, then hurried out of the throne room. Loki followed behind with his head down. 

\--------------------

   Thor liked Midgard more than he thought he would. Time moved quickly and it worried him, but his inner rage had cooled with the passage of the days. In a blur he had been picked up by SHIELD, Jane had been sequestered away to a research lab, and he had been poked and prodded until the humans were satisfied that he was indeed fully mortal. 

  Though he was not as strong as he once was, he was apparently still very powerful by human standards. He was assigned to Stark Industries, the ‘technological hub' where he and another odd but special mortal were to learn about how Midgard was ever changing. 

   He sometimes got to see lady Jane when she visited, but for the most part he was left adrift in this strange existence of ‘computers’ and ‘starkpads’ and he did not understand it at all. The only times he did not feel completely out of depth were when they asked him about his home. He could talk about the might of Asgard for eternity. Which felt like it was just over his shoulder with every passing day. 

  It was not all bad. He and Steven Roger's son were both floundering through the history lessons and technology courses that Anthony put them through. He felt better having someone to vent his frustrations to that understood him, at least mostly. And the two spent most of their free time sparring in the human style and Asgard style. 

  Inside he ached like he had never known. He missed his home so dearly. He missed his armor, now stored somewhere on base in the dessert, he missed Loki. Gods he missed Loki. He was just starting to learn about the real, unfettered little jotunn. 

  For now he would have to be content with being here and learning about how to be mortal. Maybe he would even learn what would get him back home. 


	27. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frigga begins her plans to make Loki safe and get Thor back home.

 Thor made his way to his apartment, worn and tired from his workout with Steve. He was not used to feeling such strain from what he considered a simple day of exercise, but he was unwilling to stop. Steven was a great partner to grapple with, for he too had unusual strength for a mortal. It left Thor with a feeling of familiarity and homesickness simultaneously. 

  He spent a few minutes getting cleaned up before resting on the stiff SHIELD regulation couch. He had a few moments before needing to report to one of the SHIELD commanders, so he planned to take this moment for a small midday nap. 

  Suddenly the alarm above his door flashed to life. Thor stumbled to his feet and felt for his hammer, then grimaced when he remembered that it was not at his side. He ran out into the hallway where the other warriors were moving like a school of fish towards the stairs. Thor decides to follow them.

   He spills out with the rest of them onto the roof where hundreds of other SHIELD members are gathered, including director Fury and two of his close assassins. They are far away and mostly hidden from view by the heads of other men, all pushed together as they try to fan out around whatever threat presented itself on the roof. How did they get so close already? What monster thought to land on the very fortress of the best warriors on Midgard? He used his large shoulders to push his way through the crowd until he was close enough to see what threat presented itself.

   He first registered the sight of his mother, standing regally and glowing golden in the sunlight. She seemed unconcerned with the weapons pointed at her. The next thing he noticed was that there was a blue creature next to her. His brain supplied the name ‘Loki’ before he even registered that he was running towards them.

   Fury shouted at him to stay back, but he ignored the mortal to wrap his mother in a hug. She smiled against his shoulder. “Hello, darling.” 

   “Mother. _What_ -” 

 He pulled back in time to see one of the assassins approaching him from the side, the female who preferred guns and fists. His mother flicked her wrist and produced a protective barrier around them, which the woman ran her shoulder into and was pushed back a step. Fury calmly approached the border of the dome and said “Thor, would you mind explaining why there's a giant nordic engraving on our roof and why these two suddenly decided to visit?” in a tone that implied he was very upset. 

   Thor smiled as he gestured to the two and said “Friend Fury, this is my mother, Queen Frigga of Asgard. And this is my companion, Loki.” he looked down at his friend who seemed to have lost himself to the collar already. He looked up to his mother for answers, but she shook her head and gave him a look that implied that it would be spoken of later. 

   Fury called the soldiers to lower their weapons and Frigga dropped her shield. Everyone filed back to the stairs, but Fury, his two assassins, and the royals took an elevator down to one of the middle floors where a large conference room had been prepared for their guests.

 Thor gathered Loki onto his lap and pet back his hair. The feeling of elation at seeing his friend was gone and was now filled with sadness at how tired and frail he looked; how lost and animal like he had already become. How long had he been on Midgard? Did not Loki say that it had taken years the first time to become like this? 

 Frigga sat to his right with a straight back, never taking her eyes off the man who was so obviously in charge here. Fury did the same.

  The two assassins stood in the corners of the room near the only exit. They seemed to be in a relaxed army stance, but frigga knew that they could reach their weapons within a second if need be. She smiled good naturedly. “You have been caring for my son, yes?”

 “He has been training here under agent Coulson, but yeah. We've been feeding him.” he groused. 

  Frigga turned to catch Thor's eye. “We are sorry to impose upon the resources of your planet. The royal family thanks you for your hospitality.” 

 “But?” 

She flicks her gaze to his one good eye and says calmly. “I would request sanctuary for another.” 

  Fury looked over to the blue being curled like a child against Thor, already looking drowsy and uninterested in what was being said. “The smurf over there?” 

 “He is a frost giant named Loki.” She said. “He was abused on his home planet until Thor took him in. There are many who wish to use him to their benefit, though currently he is unable to access his potential.” she leaned forward and said “I speak in confidential terms, which I hope will be followed once i have left.” 

Fury nodded. 

 She sat back and placed a hand on the jotunn’s shoulder, moving to touch her fingertips against the collar. “He will not be a warrior for you. But he is very dear to us and I wish to keep him safe on Midgard with my son until a solution can be reached.” 

   Thor tightened his grip around the runt. “I wish not to be parted from him again, friend Fury. Please, allow him refuge as you have given me.” 

  Fury sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Romanov, bring a cot to Thor's rooms. Barton, retrieve a uniform for our new guest.” 

  Thor sat up straighter and beamed at the director. “Thank you, frien-”

 Fury held up a hand. “If he so much as growls at any of my agents he goes in a kennel, got it? He can go where you go as long as he doesnt get underfoot.” 

  Thor nods happily and begins cooing encouragement to his companion who just chuffs against his neck and goes back to napping. Frigga stands and procures a scroll from a pocket dimension, as well as a feather pen. 

 “Master Fury, this contract covers all that was discussed here, our agreements and yours. When you sign it, a copy will be sent to the vaults of Asgard for storage.” she sets them down and gathers her skirts. “I will be returning in a months time if Thor and Loki remain on planet. Please take good care of my boys.” 

  With that she made her way to the door. Thor quickly stood, carrying Loki in his arms, and followed after her. They shared goodbyes on the roof before Frigga was transported by bifrost. Thor smiled. Even though he was still mortal, he felt much better having his friend with him.


	28. Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two boys enjoy a moment together after being apart

 Thor brought Loki to his rooms to get him settled in as soon as possible. For the most part, Loki remained quiet and still as he was carried down unfamiliar halls. Once he was deposited on his bed the runt crawled away and curled against the headboard, looking dejected. Thor laid across the sheets and reached a tentative hand out to him. 

  “My little Loki. What did father do to you?” he cooed. The jotunn didn’t respond, but didn’t move away either. Thor ran his hands through the dirty locks for a few moments until Loki snuggled closer, moving until he was resting against his chest and began to weep. They stayed like that for a while, both of them letting themselves feel relief in each others company.

\---------------

   The irony of this was not lost on Thor. 

  He crouched next to Loki in the shower, letting the water hit the wall and collect in a cup placed where the water ran down. He gently massaged the shampoos and conditioners into his friends dirty hair until he was satisfied. Much like the first time he had done this, Loki was cautious and angry until Thor proved that all he wanted to do was pamper. He sat shivering in the cold water that, despite what he considered a clever way to keep the water from constantly hitting them, still ended with water sloshing over the lip of the shower and spreading over the tiles. 

  He mentally compared what it had been like when Loki had first come to Asgard, when he had been so sure that he would take this creature to do his bidding; to be a weapon. Now he had to stay vigilant to make sure that no one used him in that way. Not his father, not SHIELD, not Fury. 

  Loki purred happily with his eyes closed when the icy water was poured through his hair. Thor laughed at how easily he could make his dearest happy. Even though he was upset at how Loki had come to be like this, he was glad that he could ensure his safety while they were together. Suddenly the warmth in his chest felt like it would melt his insides. 

  When they were done Loki stepped out and shook off the droplets from his hair. Thor quickly wrapped him in towels to keep him from doing more and rubbed him dry. Loki never stopped purring and even went so far as to rub his damp head to the underside of Thor's chin. The affectionate gesture would have brought tears to his eyes if he had had any more within him. 

  He found a pair of shorts for his friend, as well as a large black shirt with the SHIELD emblem where it would have rested above Thor's heart when he wore it, but was closer to the bottom of Loki's prominent ribs. Food would definitely be next. 

  Once he changed into dry clothes he picked up his friend and carried him like a child on his hip out to the halls. Many operatives flicked their gaze to them, but do not engage. 

  He asked the cook if they had any cold fish or fruits. The older woman grunted, looking between the two of them, then went into the back to check. They had a single fish that had been burnt by the freezer and crusted with ice. It didn't look appetizing to Thor, but Loki looked excited, so he accepted with a small cup of goopy orange and yellow fruit chunks. 

  Loki sat next to him at one of the many long tables, gnawing on the fishes midsection and showing off his sharp teeth to the few warriors who strolled in. Thor are what they called a salad, for it was one of the only things that tasted a little like what he would eat at home. For dinner he usually ate steak or some form of meat, as long as it was available. Everything else had some sort of breading or had a slimy element to it that made him feel ill. 

 Loki sniffed at the fruit cup and decided that it was inedible. Thor considered this a wise move, for he too did not enjoy the consistency. Where was the crunch? Why was it so overly sweet and liquified?

  Once they were done, he brought his companion to the training room with him where Steven was beating on a black hanging bag. 

  “oh hey! This is your friend from Asgard, right?” Steve greeted and held out a hand to Loki. He seemed unfazed by his blue skin and collar. Loki sniffed at the hand then curled closer to Thor. 

  “I am sorry, friend. He is animal minded at the moment. Once he is back to himself he will greet you properly.” Thor explained. 

  “Animal minded?” Steve asked.

 Thor nodded gravely. “Ay, friend Steven. My father has placed a binding collar upon him to keep him from his magics. Tis a horrible contraption that I hope friend Tony can help relieve him of when next I see him.” 

  “Well, uh. It's nice to meet you, Loki. I hope to meet you again when you are yourself.” he smiled kindly and Loki relaxed. 

  Thor set him down at the edge of the fighting ring to watch as he engaged in combat with Steven. Loki yawned and curled into a ball, dozing lightly with the assurance that he was safe in Thors company once again. 


	29. The penthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony meets Loki

 In the days following, more and more members of SHIELD came to see Loki, most of them wanting to pet him or bring him treats (having heard that he was very picky and would purr if given a snack he really enjoyed). Steve had taken a liking to the jotunn and asked Thor endless questions in their downtime about his friend. Thor was happy to offer him answers, but realised there were many things he didn't know. He would need to fix that when Loki was able to answer.

  After a week of being stuck in the headquarters, Tony was finally back from whatever conference he had been forced to go to. Thor, Steve, and Loki were bundled into a black van to head to Stark Tower as soon as possible to resume technology training again. They came up to the penthouse level where the mechanic liked to meet with them. Probably because the bar was on that floor.

  Tony greeted them as he walked past, rubbing his temples with deep bags under his eyes. “Fury the fun loving pirate told me we have a new classmate joining us today. Tell everyone your name and favorite color.” he muttered as he grabbed a random liquor from his cabinet. 

   Loki slipped past Thor's legs and began inspecting the room. Tony stopped pouring and simply stared for a while, analyzing him just as Loki turned to look at him. After a few seconds, Loki decided the mortal wasn't worth his time and continued his tour unfazed and unaware that Tony was still staring. 

  Steve set his bag down on a nearby chair and said “That's Loki.” as if it weren't obvious. 

  “Well, he IS the only one in the room that's blue.” Tony snarked. He brought his drink to the sitting area where a few tablets were waiting on the coffee table and where Loki was currently batting at the game console beneath the tv. 

  Thor came behind the jotunn and picked him up to bring him to the couch where he settled him on his lap like a child. Loki hissed, but Thor showed no signs that he cared. Once he started combing his hand through the boys black hair he immediately calmed and closed his eyes. 

 “Friend Tony. I have a rather large favor to ask.” 

 “I'm not babysitting.” he blurted. 

  Thor shook his head. “Nay. It is something much more serious.” he let his hand drift down to the golden collar at Loki's neck. “This was placed on him by my father to keep him from his magics and his mind. He is incapable of acting as himself while he wears it. I would ask that you do whatever is possible to have it removed.” Tony didn't answer immediately and instead stared at the collar intensely, so he added quickly “I will pay you whatever weregild you wish! Nothing is too much for his freedom.” 

 Tony waved a dismissive hand. “I'm not worried about price. I have more than I know what to do with.” he looked to Thor. “Why did daddy dearest put it on him?” 

  Thor held Loki close and frowned. “I am unsure what the ultimate purpose was, but he believes Loki to be a threat to Asgard.” 

 “Well why would I take it off of him if-”

  “It's not like that!” Steve said, having quietly sat nearby without anyone noticing. “He has been nothing but friendly to anyone who interacts with him. And from what Thor has been telling me, his dad seems like a real jackwagon.”

  The corner of Tony's lips curved at the term, but he let it go. “Alright, big guy. I'll see what I can do. But if he gives me any reason to think he'll destroy the planet or worse, my workshop, then he's outta here. Got it?” he took a long swig of his drink before slamming it on the table, startling everyone. “That means I'm going to have to keep him close by. And I'm guessing it's a package deal.” 

  Thor nodded.

 Tony sighed. “And I guess it would be easier to keep you close as well, since you're  _ so far _ behind in technology.”

  “Hey” he said, feeling his cheeks flare red. “Thor comes from a different planet! How am I doing so poorly?” 

  “you're not.” Tony said with a laugh and went to refill his drink. He reached over to tussle Steve's hair as he passed by. “I just like seeing you flustered.” 


	30. Test #1

 Thor was finding it harder and harder to keep Loki by his side with so many new things to learn around him. He had come to view the Stark tower as sort of a novelty that wore off once he was expected to learn each and every device's use. But Loki was like a child at the market, finding everything he was not supposed to get into as soon as someone took their eye off him. 

  Thor had a few scratches on his arms from where he had tried to pull Loki away from something that would harm him. Loki would always make it up to him though by attempting to lick the wound with a pitiful mewl of apology. And darn him, Thor could not find anger within him when the runt did that. 

  Tony spent his few moments of free time studying the material of the collar. Loki usually held still for him as long as someone was petting his hair, which Thor or Steve were permitted by the jotunn to do for as long as they wanted. It had been a week and Tony was frankly stumped as to why a heated saw wouldn't do the job. The only time it was mentioned Thor had glared at him so fiercely it felt like he would be pummeled into the floor. All other options were deemed too dangerous or not strong enough. 

   Tony propped his feet up on the coffee table and flicked on a movie. Steve brought over popcorn and sodas, and Thor piled as many pillows and blankets as he could in front of the couch. Once there was a sizable nest, Loki jumped into the center and burrowed in happily. He chirped up at Thor who laughed and kissed his forehead, then leaned against the couch next to his friend. Steve reached a hand over to lay the jotunns hair flat again where it had gotten tangled. 

  “Alright.” Tony said as if it were painful to admit. “He's pretty cute.” 

  Thor and Steve agreed simultaneously. “We must say it often while he cannot disagree.” Thor said and opened one of the sodas. He offered a bit to his companion, but Loki was uninterested. “Once he is able to talk back he will be very persistent in telling us that he is not ‘cute’.” 

  Steve opened a soda as well and asked. “So what is he like usually?” 

  Thor rubbed his chin and waited before responding. “He is… chaotic. He enjoys pranks, but I have never seen him harm anyone with them. His favorite thing is to act in a way that will surprise someone. But he is also very gentle.” here he smiled without meaning to. “He is more bright than our best scholars. He has more magical ability than anyone else I have ever known, despite the fact that it was locked away from him for such a long time.” 

  “Sounds like you're very fond of him.” Steve said with his own smile. 

  Tony chuckled. “It  _ sounds _ like our big viking boy has a crush.” 

  Steve and Thor gave him quizzical looks. 

  “You know.” he waved his hands erratically, almost spilling his drink. “He fancies him. Takes a shining. Uh…” 

   Steve holds up a hand and coughs to cover his blush. “I think we get it, Tony.” 

  Thor was silent for an extra beat, but kept his gaze on Loki who was now dozing near his leg. “I fear you may be correct in this, friend Tony.” 

  The issue was dropped for now, but it rested heavy on the group, whether it was to comfort or question further, it could wait until later.

\------------

  Loki sat perched on a mat, surrounded by sensors and beeping monitors that didn't seem to bother the jotunn one bit. He sat staring at one of the devices pointed at his head while Tony toggled with a few of the devices and Thor waited nearby wringing his hands.

  “So the energy coming off this thing looks to be producing a frequency that I think I can cancel long enough to unlock the collar.” he said to Thor, hoping to ease his worry and not get beaten up. God, he hoped this didn't go south. His frail human body wouldn't be able to take it. 

   He flipped a few switches, checked the sensors again, then gave the two a thumbs up. With a final flick, the room lights flickered and an imperceptible high pitched whine filled the room. 

   Unfortunately it wasn't imperceptible to frost giants. 

  Loki yelped and hunkered down, trying to cover his ears and howl at whatever it was that was suddenly causing him pain. Thor jumped up and shouted his name, but the beast seemed incapable of focusing on him. Tony found himself in a choke hold a few inches off the floor. 

 “Cease this torture!” he demanded. Tony gurgled in response and shakily pointed to a switch nearby. 

  “Thor-!” they both turned to the jotunn on the floor. He was covering his ears and whimpering desperately, but seemed to be attempting to stand. Thor rushed to his side, assessing him quickly, and tried his best to take the collar apart with his hands. 

   The devices beeped to inform the user that they were deactivated, leaving the room with no other sound but for Loki’s loud panting. The light in his eyes was gone and he was back to curling miserably on the floor. Thor gathered him close and whispered reassurances to him. 

  Tony read through his findings and ordered Jarvis to make a file for everything; the recordings, the video, the reactions. Thor sent him a glare, so he quickly placated him by saying “Ok, I'm sorry he got hurt, but think of what we have found! He was almost out of that thing, if we can think of a way to safely pull it off him! If you were stronger, I think it would be off him right now.” 

  Thor halted what he was going to say and felt tears well in his eyes. He wouldn't let them fall, for he was still a man even if he were not a god. He tenderly stroked Lokis forehead and held back the torrent of apologies he owed his friend. If only he were not banished. If only he had not made his father angry in some way. If only he were smart enough to figure out how to get back home. 

  Tony wisely kept quiet when he saw how pensive Thor became and went back to puttering around his lab. He would have to add special headphones to the list of revisions. 


	31. Antics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silly chapter

“We had an agreement, Fury.” Thor gritted at the screen. The image of Fury rolled his eyes. 

  “Believe me, I know. I get enough crap over it on a daily basis from the Council.” he sighed. “Just leave him with Tony and Steve. I'm sure they can keep an eye on him.” 

  Tony and Steve share a look of doubt, but kept quiet. 

   Thor looked down to where Loki is wrapped around his legs, unknowing of the conversation about him only inches away. He doesn't want to leave his companion at all, never mind that he would be with friends. And who knows how Loki would take it, since the beast has not left his side in the many weeks they have been here. 

  Thor looked up to Tony. “No lab time.”   

   “No lab time.” he agreed adamantly. He can still feel the ghost of Thor's mighty grip around his neck. 

   He turned to Steve. “Do not let him fall into danger. I am counting on you to protect my dearest treasure.” 

   Steve flushed at the earnest and heartfelt title, but nodded. They could do this.

  Thor hefted the blue being into his arms and stroked his hair. “Loki, you will be with Tony and Steven. They are good friends. Be good for them, alright?” Loki blinked at him, showing no outward signs of understanding, and didn't protest when he was deposited in Steve's arms. They each shared a nod of understanding before Thor made his way to the elevator. The whole way down to the SHIELD vehicle, to the base, and during the briefing and physical, Thor could not keep his thoughts from his small friend. 

\--------------

   It was less than two minutes after Thor left that Loki wiggled his way from Steve's arms, then padded his way to the sitting room where he curled onto the couch and seemed to go to sleep. The two mortals looked at him, then each other, secretly breathing sighs of relief. 

   “Welp.” Tony clapped his hands and made his way to the elevator. “If he's just going to sleep, then I'm going down to my lab.” 

  Steve wanted to call him back, but couldn't think of a reason that didn't sound silly. He dropped the issue and decided to cook something healthy for lunch. The tower was quiet and peaceful as everyone kept to themselves.

\--------------

   Perhaps 20 minutes later, when Steve had set out 2 salads and a bowl of freshly sliced fruit, did he notice that Loki was not sleeping on the couch anymore.

 He checked around the living space, but there was no sign of him. Steve felt his pulse begin to climb with each new hiding place he checked with no results. 

 After a frantic few minutes a voice from the ceiling called out “Mr. Rogers, I believe Loki is currently on the 31st floor near Thor's rooms.” 

   He heaved a relieved sigh, then trotted to the stairs, hoping to catch the jotunn by surprise and see just what he was doing.

    Once he arrived he carefully opened the metal door and inched it closed behind him almost soundlessly. He prowled the hall and stuck his head in doorways to catch a glimpse of him. Each room had been torn apart with almost everything on the shelves now ending up on the floor in various states of broken. Thor wouldn't be happy.

    It was near the end of the hall where the large sleeping area was located that he found him. Loki was snuffling through the blankets and pillows, making small noises as he sprawled himself out. Most every sheet was on the floor now, rumpled and clawed to shreds. Steve rushed in and shooed Loki off the bed, hoping to rescue any more of the bedding from being destroyed. Loki gave a hiss and arched his back before taking off across the room and disappearing down the hall once again.

  Steve groaned and ran after him. 

\----------

 Loki did not use the elevator, so Jarvis had a hard time stopping him from moving from room to room and floor to floor. Steve always seemed to be one step behind, having to catch electronic devices from being knocked to the floor or catching up enough to startle Loki away from clawing apart a pillow. 

   When Loki rounded back into the sitting room, Steve cut off his path on the other side of the couch. Loki hunkered down and growled playfully, always moving a step in the opposite direction when Steve tried to move closer. They were at a stalemate on either side of the couch. 

  Steve straightened up and assessed the jotunn, seeing that he was obviously enjoying this. “You're playing with me, aren't you?” he asked, feeling rather silly for being fooled.

  Loki said nothing but continued to pretend to move closer to him only to jump out of his reach with an excited huff, waiting for him to continue the game. He couldn't help but laugh at his antics. 

 “Alright, alright. But no more tearing things up!” he said, then ran after the little runt. Loki jumped into motion again and scrambled away, making a mad dash for a hiding place. 

    Their game continued for a long while, long enough for Thor to return and happily join in the game. His stamina wasn't what it used to be as a god, but he was able to play for a few hours. Once he had to concede defeat and fling himself on the couch out of exhaustion, Loki perched on top of him and curled against his chest. Thor reached up and pet his hair with a fond smile, falling asleep to Loki's happy rumbling purrs. Steve curled onto a nearby couch to sketch the scene before he too succumbed to the temptation of a late afternoon nap.


	32. Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the wait. Been struggling with being an adult and stuff. But have a shorter chapter to tide you over.

 For the next week, Tony spent all his effort and time on his industry. He told Thor and Steve that it was a necessity, that his board had been hounding him for new blueprints, but that wasn't truly what he was down in the labs for. He had a dangerous, itching curiosity. 

  He found that he enjoyed having others in the tower. And he was starting to like Loki. He was still concerned about what the jotunn would be like when free of the collar, almost as much as he was intrigued by Thor's stories of what he was like without it. The runt was cute in an annoying kind of way and made him laugh at unexpected moments, which he wasn't prepared to lose just yet. 

  But Thor was insistent. And he was pretty sure that Steve was catching on. So he had spent his Saturday working on specialty headphones that would completely block out sound, as well as being unremovable once strapped into place. The next order of business was to program his assistant bot to carefully pull the collar apart without harming Loki in the process. 

  “Sir, Mr. Rogers is here to see you.” 

  Tony tipped back in his seat to look up at the ceiling with an exasperated sigh. His ears were ringing from the sudden silence after being blasted with Metallica for the past however long he’d been down here. “Can it wait?” 

  “He says that it cannot.”    

 He groaned, taking his time to stretch in full view of the glass separator where Steve was most likely standing oh so patiently. He picked his way past his various machines and opened the door. “Yes, my captain? What can I do for you?” 

  Steve rolled his eyes, but didn't seem to be upset. “SHIELD is calling me back to base, since I'm apparently caught up enough on technology.” he turned pink a bit around the ears. “I didn't want to overstay my welcome, but ah. Thanks. For letting me stay here. And teaching me about computers and such.” 

   Tony's grin kept creeping up his cheeks until it hurt. “are you blushing?”

 Steve spluttered and turned to leave, but Tony caught his arm. When he looked over, the inventor was sure to roll his eyes as dramatically as possible. 

  “You haven't been a burden, Cap. You don't have to go anywhere.” 

  When the man tried to argue, Tony shushed him and pulled him to sit on the stool next to his work table. “Jarv, call Fury for me.”

   “How do you have his-”

 “What, Stark?” fury growled from the speakers in the ceiling. Tony twirled his pen and smiled.

  “I'm afraid I can't give Stevie back yet. Or Thor, for that matter. I need them.”

  There was a pause, then a long suffering sigh. “And why is that?” 

   “I'm experimenting on them for my nefarious purposes.”

  “Stark.”

 “We have been practicing together and I think we would make a cute boy band.”

  “Stark, are you trying to say that you enjoy human company?”

  There was a quick, almost unnoticeable pause before Tony replied “That's stupid, Fury. I've always loved people. You've been to my parties.”

  “Uh huh.” the director intoned, but didn't argue. “I'm not doing the paperwork on this, understood? I'm sending it to you so YOU can deal with the headache. Try not to kill them.” 

   Tony blew a loud kiss to the ceiling and laughed. “I wouldn't have it any other way, love.” there was a loud click before Jarvis informed the room that the director had hung up.


	33. Easter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Easter special

Thor woke to the feeling of Loki rumbling happy against his chest with his head snuggly fit under his chin. He felt a slight ache against his collarbone, but couldn't place what-

 Loki snuggled his head closer and jabbed him with one of his forming horns.

  Thor winced and pulled away, which made the runt whine and try to cling closer. To avoid being jabbed anymore he got out of bed and went to get ready. By the time that he returned Loki was sitting up, blinking his glassy red eyes tiredly. Thor scooped his jewel into his arms and smothered him with apology kisses, which made the jotunn nip at him playfully. Now that Thor was focusing on the issue, Loki’s horns were coming in nicely. He wondered how big they would be. If he was the son of Farubati and Laufey, his horns would curve slightly, but stand tall and proud. Not like some of the other horns he had seen where they curled like rams or were short and completely straight. Loki's would be his favorite kind and he couldn't wait to see them after so long of being stubs.

   Thor made his way out into the hall, asking Loki what he would like for breakfast when he spotted something odd in the middle of his path. It was a green egg with yellow stripes. 

  “What kind of animal lays such a thing?” he wondered aloud as he hefted Loki onto his side so he could bend down to retrieve it. When he looked further down, he saw another odd egg peeking from the corner of a doorway. 

  Following the line of eggs to the stairs, he found himself up on the common room floor where Tony was sitting with a StarkPad and rabbit ears, as if nothing were amiss. 

  “Friend Tony” Thor said “You have some sort of fowl loose in your tower.” 

  Steve, who was standing in the kitchenette, laughed heartedly at this. “No, Thor. It's Easter! Those are Easter eggs. I thought since you and Loki were new to a lot of Earth traditions it could be fun!” 

  He held out two brightly colored baskets. “They're all over this floor. They have treats inside of them.”   

  Loki had already jumped down from his arms and was loping to the couch where Tony was sitting. He sniffed at Tony's legs and butted him with his nose to get him to move. Tony obediently lifted his legs to reveal a blue egg under the couch. Loki dove in and retrieved it with his mouth, bursting it open and mewling happily to see a piece of chilled fruit inside. He ate it quickly and looked to Tony expectantly to receive another. 

   Tony grinned and rubbed the Jotunn's hair. “Sorry, Smurf. You gotta find them yourself.” 

  Loki began sniffing the room with the three men watching him inspect every corner, laughing when the heard Loki's happy chirps when he found an egg with fruit in it. Thor joined in the fun, but forwent the basket in favor of eating the fruit from the eggs, then leaving the shell on the floor. Tony sighed and snapped at his little vacuum robot to go follow after. 

    The pair weaved in and out of various rooms in search of colorful eggs. Loki found many more than Thor, since he could smell them much more easily, and always seemed as happy as the first time when he split it open with his teeth. It was very sweet to see.

   Once they had found all the eggs and both were full of frozen fruit, they wandered back into the main room. Thor sat back contentedly and laughed when Loki wiggled his way between him and Steve. Loki plops his head onto Thor's lap, already purring before fingers begin stroking his hair. 

   Tony took off his ears and smiled. “Glad you two liked the hunt.” 

  Thor smiled back and closed his eyes. It was not like any hunt back home, but it had certainly been amusing. 


	34. Fight

 It was during what should have been a routine mission that Thor was granted his father's approval. Simultaneously, it came at the cost of Loki’s safety, for which Thor would never forgive himself. 

  On the morn of the one year anniversary of his time on earth, Thor had a choice to make. Obey Director Fury's directions to leave Loki behind at the tower, or stay to protect him against the attack right outside the window. He secreted his jewel away in a room near the kitchens where they had been when the alarm went off. Loki hissed at the ceiling where the alarm blared and curled under the table. Thor hesitated, reminding himself that Loki wasn't defenseless, then ran to follow his orders. 

  It was when he stepped foot outside, officially leaving the tower, that he was struck by a bolt of pure energy that seeped beneath his skin and into his very being. He felt the familiar weight of his armor and cape, as well as the hum of his hammer from far away. He didn't have time to feel elated at his renewed powers because the robotic insects attacking the windows were now aiming for him. 

   Tony and Steve, also geared up, watched on in wonder at their friend, now in full Asgardian glory, took on hundreds of the bots at a time with his bare fists. 

 “Hey, Thor!” Tony called out from where he was hovering. “Use some zappy power on these guys!” he motioned with his hands like he was shooting electricity from his fingertips. 

  Normally, Thor would claim that he could not without his hammer, but he was feeling energized enough to power a continent right now and it needed to go somewhere. He shot out his hands with a battle cry and laughed when sparks tingled the air before lightning came down on their foes. Steve covered his head with a yelp. Thor couldn't keep the grin off his face. To have his powers and newfound control at once was a euphoric relief! 

   Tony waved to get their attention. “Hey, fellas, I think we need to head inside. Looks like a few made their way in.” 

  Thor rushed to the stairs without much thought, ignoring the other bots still circling nearby. Steve covered his retreat by throwing his shield at them, relieved that there were only a few left.

  Thor ran to the place he had left Loki and found him biting at one of the bots, clamping his jaws successfully around the metal arm before howling and letting go. Before it could attempt to strike, Thor gripped it by the head and flung it into a wall where it crumpled. 

  Loki looked a bit startled to see him, which was no doubt due to his changed aura and appearance. He smiled brightly to put him at ease before bending down to be eye level. “My Loki, you are so fierce! Did you hurt your teeth?” he inspected Loki's jaw, moving it this was and that. Loki snapped his teeth at him to make him stop. 

  Now that he was closer, Thor could see a trail of blue Jotunn blood trickling from the door to the corner Loki now hid in. Thor quickly ran his hands up and down Loki's body, inspecting for a wound, then pulled his hands back when he felt sticky blood coming from around his hip. 

   A loud shriek of metal interrupted his thoughts as two more of the insect bots came crashing into the room. Loki hissed and attempted to run at one, but Thor held him back. He had allowed his jewel to get hurt. He would not let that happen again. 

  Both bots went down with a quick swing of his fist, crumpling into flat bits of metal on impact. Thor listened for the sound of more robotic menaces, but all was quiet. Loki crawled to Thor's side and leaned heavily on him, purring and mewling to show his thanks. 

    Thor smiled sadly down on him before scooping him into his arms, carrying him close to his heart and pressing his face near his chin. “I am so sorry, Loki.” He muttered into the black hair. His feelings were too complicated right now for Loki to understand. And Thor was having trouble understanding how this changed his view of his father's decisions. He would need to get answers on what truly was the reason for his powers returning, but he felt it was not something he would like. 

  Once back in the living space, the heroes all wound down from the fight. “Thor, you missed the final boss.” Tony joked and took off his faceplate. “our villain was riding a giant bee with lasers.”

  Steve poked his head over the side of the railing to see the streets below. “He's down there somewhere.” he looked to the blue bundle panting in Thor's arms. “Is he ok?”

  Thor looked down to his friend and felt a white hot pang of shame. Had he not failed his friend enough? He had been lost in thought and not taken proper care of his friend's injury. 

   Tony waved him off so he could look at the jotunn. “He got a bit of a scrape, but it's nothing too serious.” he went back over to the bar and rummaged around for a bit in one of the cabinets. 

 “Don't just pour alcohol on it, Tony.” Steve chastised from the couch. He snapped his mouth shut when Tony turned around with a first aid kit and an unimpressed look. 

  Thor held the blue boy still while Tony wiped off the area, then applied an adhesive and gauze. Loki mewled and kicked out at the sting, but Thor kept up a steady stream of quiet words while petting his hair to sooth him. It was over with quickly and, once released, Loki loped off to hide behind one of the plants and began trying to bite at the bandage. 

 Tony just laughed and remarked “We should get him a cone to keep him from hurting himself.” Thor gave him a worried look, about to ask what this ‘cone' would do to help, but Tony put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “He's fine. He can't even reach it. And if he does take it off, it has already been cleaned out. He's ok, buddy. “ 

  But Thor still looked deep in troubled thought. “We must return to Asgard immediately. I need to speak with my father about this.” 

  “Right now?” Steve asked. “We just finished up a fight. Why go looking for another right after?” 

   “It must be done.” Thor said, attempting to chase after Loki to carry him once more. Loki, on the other hand, did not want to be picked up right now and scurried away from him with each attempt. Thor huffed in frustration.”Loki, we must go.” He said, a bit of thunder crackling in the distance. 

  “Wait until tomorrow. Don't go rushing in, especially when Loki has that cut. That can't be super awesome for interplanetary travel.” Tony said, then downed a glass of scotch. “Have a drink.” 

   He did not want to wait. He wanted answers. He wanted many things. But Loki would feel better to have the chance to heal. And he needed to calm down before he went to speak with his father, else he would do something immensely stupid. 

  Thor decided to head down to one of the gyms to let off some steam. Loki chose this moment to follow after and run circles around his feet like a troublesome pup. Thor smiled. They both could do with some exercise. 

    When he got down to the gym, Thor let out an exaggerated battle cry and took a step towards Loki. Loki crouched into a playful running position before taking off across the foam mat, Thor on his heels. Loki dipped and zig zagged out of his path, climbing on any equipment he could. Thor would make a grab at him, but his hands would miss by inches and Loki flitted away. 

   They continued on like this for a while, until Thor dramatically fell to the ground, complaining about how he had been wounded. Loki ran to him and sniffed all over, pressing himself against the man in worry. He gave a yelp when he was picked up and cradled to his chest once more. Thor laughed heartily, amazed to have tricked the clever beast with his poor acting. Loki squirmed, but settled soon after and rumbled his protest. That soon changed to purring when Thor carded his fingers gently through his hair. They stayed like that for a while before Thor carried him back up to their floor to bathe and sleep. In the morning, Thor would worry about his father. For now, he was happy to be curled around his treasure.


	35. The game

Thor looked down at his precious friend, asleep and curled around a pillow. He would make this right, no matter what his father thought of him or the company he kept. 

  With one last kiss to his cool forehead, Thor made his way to the front lawn of the Stark tower. "Heimdall!" He called to the skies, holding up his arm. "Take me to Asgard!" The skies rumbled and split and, in a beam of pure light, he was gone. 

\---------

  Tony was jerked awake by the boom from outside, then alerted by Jarvis that mr. Odinson had left the tower. Tony stared at the ceiling a little dumbfounded. 

 "What?" 

"Mr. Odinson has left you a video recording." Jarvis supplied and flicked on the room's TV. Tony blinked at the image of Thor looking up at the ceiling, a little off from looking directly off the camera. 

  "Friends, I plead with thee to watch over Loki while I go to confront my father. I hope to convince him to free him from the collar but, if not, I hope we can do it with your machine once you have the noise blockers created." Tony flushed with guilt. He had had them done for a few days now and had forgotten to notify him. "He is in danger in Asgard without his magics. I did not want to put him in that position and knew I could not say goodbye to him while he was awake. He is still in our room asleep. I hope to return to you all soon." He hesitates and says with a crack in his voice "I failed him when I left him alone during the attack yesterday. That's how my powers returned and my father will have a lot of explaining to do when next I see him. Please… please protect him." The prince walked out of camera range, then the video clicked off. 

  Tony leaned back into his pillows once more and groaned. He doubted Loki was still asleep after that large boom. He should probably go check on him. 

  He slipped on a shirt as he stepped into the elevator. "Jarv, where's Steve at?" 

 "Captain Rogers is on a run, but surveillance says he is on his way back." 

  "Awesome." He says as he rubs his face roughly. "Have him notified of the new development, would you?" 

   "Yes, sir." 

The elevator dinged when he reached Thor's floor. As he made his way to the bedroom the hall got colder and colder until he could see his breath. "Lokes." He called, but got no response. At least he didn't hear anything breaking. 

  In the room, surprisingly, Loki was still on the bed and not making havoc, but was hunched and keening sadly. Tony sat beside him and carded his hand through his dark hair. "Hey, my main blue man. He'll be back, don't you worry. He asked us to watch you while he went to duke it out with his daddy dearest." Loki leaned into his side and mewled pathetically. How could Thor handle this level of ridiculous cuteness every day? How did he get anything done?

  Tony scooped up the jotunn, grunting against the weight as he ambled out the door and towards the elevator once more. "It's alright, big guy. We can go watch a movie and eat some fruit. You like watermelon?" 

   He rambled on and on as he popped a disk into the TV, cut up some fresh enough fruit that was undoubtedly Steve's, and came back to the couch. Loki remained quiet and sulky the whole while. Steve soon returned and was quietly filled in out of range of the jotunn. He crouched near his friend and attempted to boost his spirits, but Loki was too sad for such distractions. 

  They watched the movie and took turns checking in on him, making sure he was ok, but he didn't move or make any other sounds. He stared out the window, ignoring the movie completely. 

   "Sirs, two SHIELD agents are asking to speak with you." 

  Tony looked up. "What? Where are they?" 

   "In the lobby."

 The two shared a confused and incredulous look, then turned to the miserable jotunn on the couch. 

  "Tell them we aren't taking visitors."

 "Unfortunately, sir, Mr. Odinson and his companion fall under the protection and jurisdiction of the SHIELD forces." He added in a clearly annoyed but professional tone "They have asked me to remind you of this in case you did not wish to proceed." 

  Tony groaned and went to fetch a coffee. "fine. Send them in." Steve was surprised that he caved so easily, but didn't complain. They probably wouldn't leave if Tony said no. 

   A few seconds before the elevator let the two agents out, Loki perked and stared intently at the metallic doors. 'Like a dog sensing visitors' Steve thought. 

  The two assassins stepped out, assessing the room for dangers and determining the state of the jotunn in their midst. "Mr.Stark. I trust that the large pattern on your front lawn was not of your own making?" Said the redheaded female. 

  "Nope. That would be Thor." He replied and came to greet her with a clear swagger. He grinned and stuck out his hand. "I don't believe we've met." 

  "Natasha." She replied with no inflection. She did not shake his hand. "What is the status of our Asgardian acquaintance? And what has he said about his friend?"

  "Quick to the meat of the issue. I like it." Tony took a long drink of his coffee and set it on the counter. "I hate to tell you, but I don't really trust government organizations anymore. But rest assured that he plans on coming back quickly and asked us to care for Loki." 

  The archer hums. "So now you're babysitting, Stark? Didn't take you for the nurturing type." His tone implied that he didn't buy his story. 

  Tony raised an eyebrow at him. "I can he nurturing. What, you think I'm lying about Thor leaving him here? How do you explain the blue kid sitting on my couch?"

  The other man looked over Tony's shoulder and replied "What blue kid?" 

   Tony and Steve whipped their heads simultaneously to see that the couch was empty. And there were no signs of the jotunn. "Did you not think it was important to tell me that he wandered off again?!" Tony demanded to the ceiling. 

  It replied "you have never asked me to do so before. He tends to wander most every waking hour."

   Tony barely held in his exclamation at THAT bit of information, and turned back to the two agents. "He's a little shit, but he's not dangerous. Unless you're a pillow or something expensive like that new Parisian rug I got last year-"

 "Tony."

"Anyway, don't shoot him or anything. He likes being chased. This is what he did last time he ran off. We just have to go hunt for him until he wears himself out." 

   Natasha gives him a hard stare. "You expect us to play his game?" 

  Tony waits a beat and shrugs his shoulders, then moves to the elevator once more. "Jarv, where is he?"

  "In your room, sir. He has taken a liking to your Italian tuxedo." 

   "Son of a bitch!" He hollers as the doors close. Steve coughs awkwardly as he ambles past the two. "Sir. Ma'am." He inclined his head to them, then heads for the stairs to help.

  Clint rolls his eyes. "I'm getting a drink." 


	36. The deal

    The walk from the observatory to the city was quiet and allowed Thor the chance to think of what he would say. The first few minutes were mostly filled with obscenities, but cooled to a righteous, roiling anger. His steps were determined, long, and punctuated by thunder in the distance. 

   Once he was in the lower towns, the people cheered at the sight of him, as if already alerted to his return. But when they collectively started to notice his mood the clapping stopped and became a quiet stare. It became an odd spectacle of an unhappy one man parade to the palace. 

   His friends smiled and called out to him from the training field and came to walk beside him, but Thor did not look to them. He had eyes only for the king. The guards muttered to each other before swinging open the doors to the inner chambers and throne room. Odin was on his throne, Frigga beside him, and two rows of four guards along the walls blocking the servants doors. Thor stopped a few feet away from the steps. 

   Odin stood and smiled. He looked no different than when Thor had been dragged away and tossed to Midgard. Frigga, in contrast, looked worn and tired. Beautiful as always, but struggling with her smile. 

 "My son." Odin said proudly. "You have returned."

  "Aye. And the boon for my return was set by you, Allfather. A price that should not have had to be paid." Thor grit and stood tall. "To abandon someone in need when called by my superior. To prove loyalty above duty. That is what you wanted me to prove."

  "To abandon your loyalty to the jotunn runt. It has clouded your mind. Made you forget to whom you should be most loyal." 

 "To you?" Thor demanded.

"To the people around you." Odin replied calmly. "Those mechanical beasts you fought were not just a danger to your fortress, but to the people of Midgard. You needed to put the needs of the whole above the need of one whelp." 

  Thor was breathing heavy. He took a moment to formulate his next thought. "You do not know Loki. You do not know what he is like. He is not a danger to the throne or to its people. If you could only-" he paused for a second before blurting the thought that tumbled forth. "If you spent but a day in his company getting to know him, you would not hate him with such vigor." 

  Odin could hear the hopeful lilt of his tone. This was not just a sentiment. It was a challenge. "I will not have that mongrel underfoot while I conduct business."

   "The real Loki. Not the beast you have forced him to be, though in animal mind he is still quite charming." Odin scoffs loudly. Frigga, who has stayed out of the way of the conversation, smiled brightly and added "I think it's a wonderful idea." 

   Thor flicked his gaze to her with a thankful smile in return. "The rest of Asgard has had the chance to know him and love him. I think you hate Loki because he is jotunn. Not because he is Loki." 

  Odin gave his son an appraising look. "I do not hate. I do not trust him. Who is to say that he will not poison my mind? Or cause me harm if we are alone?" 

     Thor felt giddy at this opportunity unfolding before him. "Keep a guard with you at all times. Is it not the same as being with a planetary ambassador?"

   Frigga and Thor watched as the man turned the idea in his head before finally relenting, defeated. "I have missed you, my son. I do not wish to push you away. I want you to realise that falling head first into the arms of an enemy is dangerous for Asgard." Thor is about to respond, but he added "I will spend one day, sunrise to sun down, with your Jotunn runt. If he is as you say and I find no fault in him, then you may continue your acquaintanceship. But if I am right and he is conniving against us, then he will be banished from the nine."

  The stakes were deep, but Thor had faith that Loki would prove he was worthy. "Do not aggravate him further with torture or prodding." 

   Odin held out his hand. "Let us agree to our terms and, in a weeks time, see it through."

  Thor took the stairs quickly to clasp hands with his father, then pulled him in for a hug. Odin stumbled into his grasp with a laugh and returned it.


	37. Lots of talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of talking. It was hard to motivate myself through this chapter.

  Loki had fun leading the boys around the building, scurrying after him, but it was Natasha that finally cornered him. The jotunn was having too much fun to properly watch his surroundings, else he would have seen the movement in the doorway. She was able to wrap her arms around him, pinning his limbs to his middle, and roll him to the ground. Loki snarled in surprise, but only playfully snapped his teeth at her before going limp. 

  The others came soon after and took a moment to catch their breath. Nat waited, crouched next to her prey. 

  Loki rolled onto his hands and feet and did a full body shake. He leisurely came to her side and sniffed at her clothes and hair, showing no malice or anger towards her for ending his game. Natasha reached up to stroke back his hair, watching for how he reacted. Loki preened under the attention and seemed sated with the fun the others had provided him. His eyes kept glancing to and fro behind the group. 

  "He's looking for someone." Clint said, looking behind himself to the empty hall. Steve and Tony shared a glance with a frown. 

 "Thor." They said, which caused Loki to perk up and wander over, sniffing the air for the thunderer. when he didn't see him, he let out a mewl of confusion. 

"Last time Th- uh, the big guy left, he did this and he came back to play with him. He must think that his friend will be back because he played the game again." Steve explained sadly and bent down to scoop the jotunn up again. Loki seemed unhappy in his arms, but settled enough after a moment. The collar hit Steve's collarbone and made him wince at the sting of pain. "Tony, didn't you finish those headphones yet? This collar is obnoxious."

  "You're not going to remove that thing while Thor is offworld." Natasha said authoritatively. The look Tony gave her said he took it as a challenge. 

  "If he causes any damage it won't be to earth. He'll go after his big buddy in Asgard." 

  "And when he's done there?" She replies. "Who is to say he will not come back to destroy our planet?" Clint could tell that she wasn't serious, and it seemed the others knew it too. 

  Tony reached over to pet Loki's hair. "Thor will be with him. And… I don't think he's like that. Thor vouches for him."

  "I say we wait. The runt is fine, there's no reason to take the collar off other than to 'see what'll happen'." Clint says unhappily. "We don't need an unnecessary risk to Earth on Tony's gut feeling." 

  Steve looked supremely unhappy at that. "But he is intelligent when this thing is off of him. Is it not torture to keep him from his potential? To force him to be animal minded?"

   Clint shrugged. "It's not hurting him. Look, this isn't really worth debating since SHIELD won't let you take it off him anyway." 

  Tony gawked, so Natasha inserted "He is still under SHIELD's watch and jurisdiction. If you tamper with the collar it will be seen as destruction of SHIELD property."

   Tony flung his hands into the air. "Fine!" He exclaimed and walked to the elevator. "I'm going to my lab. Nobody bother me. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again, but get out of my tower, please." 

   "Actually, Stark." Natasha said calmly with a secretive smile. "We were asked to stay to ensure the collar stays on." 

  "What?!" Tony pivots and stomps back over. "Fury can't just invite people over to MY house!" 

   "As long as you have SHIELD property, we have a right to guard it. In your premise." 

   Tony stared her down, glaring at her serene expression. After a moment, he relented. "You two can find an open room somewhere. Jarv will probably help you out. Don't bother me." He turned once more and entered the elevator. Once he was gone, Steve set Loki down. 

  "I'm going to go check on him." He declared. He faintly worried for Loki as he followed his friend down to the labs. All indications showed that they were dangerous people, but Natasha had been gentle with the little Jotunn. If they had come to 'guard SHIELD property' they wouldn't go out of their way to hurt him.

   He wasn't surprised that the labs were locked. He watched from behind the thick glass barrier as Tony angrily slipped on some gloves and wandered into what looked to Steve like a forest of mechanical nonsense. He called out to him, but the man either ignored him or couldn't hear him. 

 Steve looked up. "Jarvis, please tell him I just want to talk for a minute." 

  He watched as Tony tinkered for a minute before whipping his head over to see him. Tony rolled his eyes, hard enough to see from a distance, and ordered the door unlocked. 

  "I know you want to help Loki, but we can't take the collar off right now." Steve pleaded as he walked to Tony. "Please don't do anything reckless. They might hurt him or take him away." 

   " I have a feeling that once that collar is off, they can't do jack." Tony said heatedly. "They waited until Thor was gone. They don't have the right to keep him like this. No matter what they say. I just need to be smart about how I do it." He pauses and smirks. "About how  _ we  _ do it." 

 "We?"

"I need someone strong to pull the collar apart. You're strong. Ergo, you'll be the one to do it." 

  Steve was about to say something, but shut his mouth and nodded. Tony looked surprised. 

"Wow, I didn't have to convince you to go against the government? No rallying speech about freedom for illegal aliens?"

  "Loki isn't a danger. I've wanted him free since we met him. He isn't their property and they don't have the right to keep him this way."

  Tony clapped his hands together and grinned. "Alright then. Tomorrow I will have everything set. Come down to the lab around noon and, if thing one and thing two ask, say you're bringing me up for lunch. Bring Loki, of course."

  They shared a moment of mutual joy in their plan. Tomorrow Loki would be free of his collar. Nothing else mattered until then. 

   Steve returned upstairs to find the two assassins in the living room, Natasha on the couch and Clint sitting perched on the arm with a feather on a string. He chuckled meanly as Loki batted and leapt after it, muttering about how embarrassing it must be to be a dumb animal. 

 Steve stood in front of him, military stance and a sour glare to make him shut up. He snatched the string from him and tossed it in the trash before scooping his friend up from the floor and taking him to Thor's room. Here, he floundered a bit, unsure what to do next, but Loki wriggled in his arms to be let down. He jumped onto the bed and got comfortable before turning to look at him and mewl. 

  "You want me to sleep beside you?" He asked. Cautiously he stepped forward. When his hand was on the comforter, Loki laid his head down and closed his eyes. Steve took that as an affirmative. He stripped off his shoes, belt, pants, and button up shirt, then slid under the covers. Loki nestled himself under Steve's chin and pressed close, causing the soldier to shiver at the cold. How did Thor stand this proximity? He pulled the blankets closer and tried hard to get to sleep. 


	38. Back in black

They went quick, for they knew that Natasha and Clint were probably savvy to their plan. Tony was already awake and hadn't slept. Steve usually woke around 4:30 to jog. Loki woke whenever he felt like it. Unfortunately, that wasn't at 4:30 in the morning. 

   Steve carried Loki in a bundle of blankets down to the labs, quietly padding to the elevator and whispering directions to JARVIS, as if the spies, who were on a different floor, would hear him if he didnt. 

 When they got to the lab Loki stirred in his cocoon, snuffling and mewling as he tried to get more comfortable. Tony laughed and came over to stroke his hair. "Is he a frost giant or a wiggle worm? Who's a cutie? You are!" 

   "Tony…" Steve said with a laugh. "What are you doing?" 

  Tony squished Loki's cheeks and made kissy faces at him. "Thor says that we can only do this when he has the collar on. I'm getting it all out of my system before we take it off." 

  Steve grinned. "So you've been secretly thinking about doing this the whole time?" 

  "Haven't you? He's adorable." He had to admit, he kind of had. But it would be far too embarrassing if Loki ended up remembering, or worse, became angry.

  Steve pulled the runt away from Tony's baby talk and said "Alright, we've got a tight schedule to keep before those two come to wreck our plan." 

  This made Tony straighten up. "JARV, keep an eye out for the two spies. Notify me if they get to this floor. And lock all entry to the labs." 

  "Affirmative, sir. Agent Romanov is on the training floor and Agent Barton is currently in the ventilation systems, on his way towards this floor. He will be met with two electric fields, should he come within 20 meters of the lab." 

  Tony nodded and went to his work bench to retrieve a pair of sleek black headphones. There was a clip for a chinstrap to keep Loki from removing it, which he hastily put on the blue man before he woke fully. Loki grumbled, but didn't wake. Steve was ushered over to a blue circle, the only clear spot in the lab, in front of a device with multiple toggles on it. 

  "This shouldn't affect you, since Thor and I were fine the last time we tried. It seems only Frost Giants can hear the frequency. It'll unlock the collar enough for you to break it off of him and get it away as quickly as possible. We don't know what will happen when it's removed." Tony explained. He got to work adjusting the machine to his needs, which evaded Steve's understanding, so he stood silently at the ready to act when needed. 

   Loki started to stir, mildly interested in the goings on of the humans, watching the shorter one putter around and babble about something. He snuggled into the person holding him, purring loudly. Steve muttered assurances, though the jotunn couldn't hear them. 

  "Alright, trial #2." Tony muttered as he stood behind the noise machine. "In three… two... one!" He pressed a button to his left and nothing seemed to change for the humans, but Loki's eyes flew open in alarm. He reached his hands up to the collar at the same time as Steve, who was crouching on the ground so he didn't have to hold him up. Loki yowled loudly like a hurt cat, minutely wiggling in discomfort, though if it was from the sound or being set down, they weren't sure. Steve gave him a quick apology before using all his super strength to wrench the golden collar apart. He grunted with the effort and, once it was cleaved in two, threw the pieces across the room. They hit the walls and fell among the various machines, but no one cared to see where. Tony switched it off and hopped over the wires and electric cords to crouch on the jotunn's other side. He unclipped the headphones, waiting a breath before uttering "...Loki? You with us?"

   Loki was still looking at nothing with wide, disbelieving eyes. He reached up with his hands to feel where the collar had been, then blinked at the two humans leaning over him. He let out a stuttered breath, then clenched his teeth and pushed them back so he could stand. 

  Tony and Steve landed on their backs, but quickly scrambled to get up and track the blue man's movements. "Loki, are you alright?" 

  With a snap of his fingers, Loki changed his attire to battle regalia, with a pitch black loin cloth, studded with sharp metal barbs that matched the barbs on a set of shoulder plates molded against his skin. A pair of twining metal snakes twisted up the length of his arms to become braces.He tied his hair back manually, methodically, with deft fingers, then turned to the two. " _Where is Thor?_ " He asked. His voice was icy and frightening and his body language said that he was ready to kill. Suddenly, Tony's stomach plummeted with the thought that maybe Natasha had been right. 

  "He isn't here." Steve answered dumbly. His hands were raised in a placating way that came across as defensive. "Please, Loki, let's talk it out before you run after him." 

  "Talk?" He spat. "There is nothing to talk about. Odin will pay for what he has forced me to endure. I-" his words choked to a stop as two golden pieces flew across the room and snapped together back around his neck, halting his words and causing him to stumble. Frantically, Loki clawed at the pieces, then stumbled to his knees and began howling with rage, for words would no longer form. 

  Tony and Steve shared a look of both shock and relief, though Steve felt absolutely horrible for being glad to have the collar force Loki back into his own mind. Once Loki had tired himself out enough for the humans to approach, Steve helped remove the dangerous looking metal pieces of armor, as well ad the loincloth, and wrap him in the blanket he had been brought down in. Loki cried pitifully and clung to Steve as he was lifted to his chest. 

  Tony's hands were shaking, but he hid them by scratching at his neck. "So, ah… I think we may need to run a few more test, but. Maybe put the pieces in a… a box or something. Or…"

  "Tony-" Steve cut in and swallowed, showing his own frantic worry. "Loki is dangerous. We need to wait until Thor is here. And even then, maybe… maybe…" 

  Tony nodded at the words unsaid. Loki was in a lot of pain. This Odin guy sounded like he was about to be made into paste, and unfortunately Tony and Steve might have been insects on the windshield of Loki's death machine.

   "Let's go back to bed." Steve said to the sad lump in his arms. Loki, already lost to the effects of the collar, rubbed his cold, wet cheek against his chest and let out a sad huff. 

   In the training room, Natasha sat with her legs crossed. "Status?" She asked once again. 

 "Sir and Mr.Rogers have decided against a second trial. The device seems to have no damage and remains in place." The ceiling reported. "Mr.Rogers is taking Mr.Loki back to bed. Sir is staying in his lab. No damage or electric disruptions were caused from trial 2." 

  She hmm-ed before saying "please notify Clint that he is to return to bed as well. Crisis averted." 

  "Very well." He replied dryly. Nat closed her eyes and breathed out a sigh of relief. That went better than she had expected. 


	39. Going home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short short short! I wanted to post this little tidbit to let you know I'm not dead. I hope to post the next segment soon.

Thor returned with a loud crashing boom onto the roof of Stark Tower. He was muddled with many feelings about what he would tell Loki, hoping that he would see reason enough to try to get along with his father. There was no point in NOT trying! Loki was smart enough to understand that. 

    He stepped inside, greeted by Jarvis once he walked through the glass doors, and immediately sought out his beloved jewel. There was no one in the communal area where he had entered, but the AI was quick to inform him that everyone was down in the training room. Thor thanked him, stepped into the elevator, and began rehearsing what he would say to Loki once he was freed of the collar. 

   Thor was not surprised to see Steve romping with Loki, for he had done so before in what some might call an undignified manner. What did surprise him was that Tony had joined in. The inventor seemed like a sarcastic business man who didn't usually 'play' like this. But here he was, rolling on the mats in a wrestling match with Loki, growling in his face just like Loki growled at him. Steve laughed heartily before jumping in and lifting the squirming bundle into his arms. Both men beset the runt with tickles while the beast could do nothing but yelp and wiggle wildly. The three noticed him at the same time, panting from their fun with big smiles. 

  Once freed, Loki sped to his friend and jumped into his arms. Thor had to take a step back from the force of it, lest he end up on the mats as well. "Ha ha! You are in high spirits today, Loki. I do hope that holds."

  "For what?" Tony asked skeptically and chugged his water. At least, it looked like water. 

  Thor grinned and answered "the All-Father has agreed to spend a day with Loki to get to know him and understand him better." 

  Steve and Tony shared a look. 

"Loki with or without the collar?" Steve asked. 

  "Well, I would assume it to be the true Loki. Without the collar." 

  "Well you know what they say about people who assume." Tony said. Both blondes gave him a confused look, so he left it be. "Look, Thunderbird, no offense but how do you know he's going to be so understanding after everything he's done?"

 "My father wishes to learn and do better. He felt he was protecting me and Asgard by keeping Loki away. All he needs is one day to see what I see. And perhaps Loki may learn something from father as well!" 

   Tony coughed into his arm and walked away, muttering something scratchy under his breath. Steve winced, unsure what to say. "Well. You seem… optimistic about this. I just hope that Loki will be ok with you making deals on his behalf without him." 

  Thor rubbed under Loki's chin and said sweetly "I shall get him something pretty as a reward. He will soon forgive me."

   With nothing else to say on that, Steve and Tony wished them farewell on the roof before Thor and Loki were whisked away.

  ----------

 Odin would not remove the collar when they returned, arguing that to do so now when everyone was fatigued, would do little to sway Loki. They should wait until morning to begin the "day" with a clear mind. Thor could do little but agree, feeling sad to be taking Loki the beast to his room, rather than having Loki the mage by his side again. 

  Loki didn't mind, though, and curled to his side once they were on the soft bed. He began purring loudly and fell asleep soon after. Thor combed his black hair and tried to hold onto his confidence that tomorrow would bring good things. 

 


End file.
